#now they are in a lesbian standoff with one another

[745voiceofthepeople]

So in regards to the drabble you just posted what is Zuko's reaction to Azula showing up to end the coup solely because she's seduced by Katara?

Do Azula and Zuko ever reconcile?

While I do believe that Zuko would have two main responses. First annoyance that he needs Azula at all and second I think Zuko would be utterly flabbergasted that Azula and Katara are together at all.

While I wound go so far as to call Zuko self absorbed or anything of that ilk, he can be fairly oblivious to the goings on in other people’s lives. So Katara being a lesbian, his sister being a lesbian. It completely blindsided him.

To Zuko, Azula and Katara go from trying to kill each other one day, to making the palace wake up from the loud sounds in Azula’s bedroom in like a week. It both confuses and also soemwhat traumatizes him!

Zuko also may be upset originally that Azula decides to help, not for him. But rather because Katara convinced (read seduced) her to do so.

Of course once he learns more about Azula (frankly justified) resentment of him and her reasons for it, Zuko may begin to understand why it took Katara and her wily wily ways to convince Azula. Or he may very well bury his head further under the sand and attempt to increases the grudge match between them. The childhood rivalry engineered by Ozai. Not that Azula wouldn’t attempt to do likewise of course.

As for reconciliation, I can see Azula and Zuko dancing around one another, until they get into a large fight. Afterwords, the two would go to their significant others (Katara and maybe Mai?). Who convince them to give another talk a try.

Azula would probably also get some good will, for basically saving Zuko’s reign for him. Now that I think about it, this Drabble isn’t dissimilar to your story “the things we do”.

More humorous is this scenario. You see during the Peloponnesian war, the war (well series of wars) had a very averse effect on the city of Athens. Famine, disease, and what have you ravaged the city and its populace. Tired of the fighting, the wives of the Athenian soldiers asked their husbands to stop the fighting. They refused and kept fighting the Peloponnesian league of Polis. Angered the wives organized and decided (collectively) to withhold sex until their husbands agreed to stop the fighting. The standoff didn’t last long and the Athenian soldiers agreed to stop fighting. For that war at least…

I can see something similar happening in Drabble Au. With both Katara and (presumably) Mai having a pact to refuse Azula and Zuko bedroom fun, until the idiots agree to talk.

This talk would be harsh on both sides originally. Both have justified resentments for the other. But I can see after talking with each other, and with their wives Azula and Zuko would finally be able to reconcile and forgive the past. It just might take a while. Due to many hurt feelings, attempts to kill each other, the whole shebang.

To get slightly Nsfw, I can also see Katara spanking Azula until she agrees to give talking to Zuko a try. Of course that could have the opposite effect of getting Azula to ignore/belittle her brother even more. Not that Katara would exactly complain if it did!

Thanks for the ask @itspronouncedjulia !!! I hope I have satisfied your queries.

And thanks also for answering the Atla/house of the Dragon ask!

[pandasmagorica]

First watch: 10 Years Ticket episodes 13-16 (finale)

Episode 1-4 notes

Whew! That was a wild ride. Great twists, great flashback reveals, great performances all around. I highly recommend this show. Content warning for violence - it is a crime drama after all, one that focuses more on the criminal's families, with the criminals more as side characters who wreak havoc.

The only complaint I have about the writing is that a significant character does something very stupid which does not end well.

We do get more about the QL subplot between two middle-aged women, neither of whom dies.

Lots of other people die.

I learn more about Thai Buddhist funeral customs than I ever learned before.

I haven't mentioned that a lot of the story revolves around characters' love of film. I used to be very much into film, not so much in my later years, but I can tell it means a lot to them and adds to the texture of the story.

One more thing I thought about is that this is Ohm Pawat's at least second series as a son of a family that is warring with another family that used to be friends. Of course, Bad Buddy was a comedy with some drama, and 10 Years Ticket is hard drama with sparse comic moments, but the parallels are interesting.

Spoilers follow

No, the two women don't end up together again, but they end up on good terms. I have mixed feelings about this. I think it's justified dramatically, but my lesbian bestie tells me lesbian stories rarely end well. It's too much to ask one series to carry that weight, but I hope among the lesbian series we'll be getting this coming year and - if we support them - beyond that happy endings will be abundant.

We've known since episode 4 that Luk didn't do it. We learn why she confessed, and that she didn't know who actually killed her lover/Phukao's (Ohm's) step-brother Mai. We see the killing in a flashback, that, as we saw in 9-12 with the police lieutenant, the big boss took Piak's gun and shot Mai, then returned the gun to Piak.

We learn that, despite treating Kongkwan and her family as enemies, Phukao loves Kongkwan (and vice versa) and we watch their relationship soften and develop further. We didn't get the Bad Buddy parents to openly accept their children's relationship. We do get the 10 Years Ticket parents, at least the surviving ones - Phukao's parents Santi and Sai and Kongkwan's father Somkiat - to accept the relationship.

Yes, I said surviving ones. Kongkwan's mother Veena makes the mistake of filming the aftermath of a killing at the big boss's home, then showing it to the police inspector - who was there at the time - after he arrests her husband when they plant drugs in his truck. The inspector frees the husband, but later ransacks their home when Veena returns home alone. The next thing we know, the police are showing up at Somkiat, Veena, and KongKwan's home to let them know about Veena's death. I know this was needed plot-wise, but I wish they had written it some other way.

Phukao wrongly blames himself for Veena's death, and says that if he hadn't brought Kongkwan home late, Veena would still be alive. Actually, it's more likely that Somkiat and Kongkwan would also be dead and, depending on the timing, possibly Phukao. But because they didn't know what happened when Veena came home or why, they had no way to know that.

In a confrontation in the theater, Piak kills the police inspector and his assistant, then Piak and the big boss kill each other. I'm not an expert on gun violence but it strained my credulity that Sor and Plu weren't injured or killed during the standoff. It's bizarre to watch Pin (Sai's old flame) and Sor walk through the bloody theater aisle - aren't they afraid of leaving shoeprints?

At this point, everyone who was a witness to who actually shot Mai is now dead. Fortunately, Chalee, one of the drug dealers, turns himself in and talks, resulting in Luk's release from prison five months later. I guess he didn't mention Sor (Gunsmile's character) and Plu (Off's character) as they are still free to attend the film screening the characters stage as a memorial to Veena.

The end

[sonsband]

Heyyy it’s ur Monbebe Secret Santa 🎅🏼 Yes, it’s been a nice busy!! Mostly been hanging out with friends, but now all my social events are done and I will be in hibernation mode until the New Year 😌

Fatal Love was my first ever kpop album because it was also the first comeback I was around for! It was also on sale hahaha so I thought ‘why not.’ I agree, it’s a solid album and it’s just so sexy that they did that. I have some such a random assortment of albums, tbh! 8 of them are GOT7 related (a mix group/sub unit and solo stuff, they’re my favourite group), 2 twice albums (1 group and 1 solo), 2 seventeen albums (I love them so much too, one of the first groups I got into!!) and 3 B.I (Kim Hanbin) albums because I love his entire discography! I think this is where my collection will stop growing lmao I’m running out of space 😂

I am soooooo excited as well, I’ll also be losing my mind regardless! I hope the title track punches me in the face 🫡

What are you watching on tv these days? :) What other groups are you into?

hello again!

oh that sounds great! I've been overwhelmed busy recently, but tomorrow I'm going to spend a week with my dad and go into hibernation mode as well haha. does it snow where you live? I love when it's snowy outside and I'm bundled up inside.

that's just such a good first comeback. Love Killa blew us all away. Shownu's little body-ody-ody-ody hip move and Minhyuk looking stupid good through the entire era... it really is so sexy of them.

ooh good taste! what did you think of Jackson's new song? while 100 Reasons was, is, and always will be queen, I've really been enjoying his experiments in this new sound. and B.I... so iconic of you. "BTBT" is so good, and one of the few songs where that jammed in line that doesn't really fit the previous rhythm ("cause I don't really do this") really, really worked. his other stuff is good, too, obviously, but oof that one...

I hope the title track puts me in a coma, but also the Changkyun and Wooki produced song?!?! I am LOOKING.

I'm so boring,most of the television I watch is stuff I can watch with half my brain and not get distracted since I watch it at work while I'm doing the tedious stuff OTL so it's not good. but I'm slowly working through "Reboot" and the most recent season of "What We Do In The Shadows" at the gym. how about you? what good stuff would you recommend?

other groups? it's me and Shim Changmin in a constant standoff. I love his music but he can meet me in the Hague. other than that, I'm still such a boy band lesbian. Seventeen, TXT, Forestella (ignore "Utopia") WayV, and Woodz are some of my not Changmin faves.

and if I'm in an Ateez-but-not Discord where we had to put them in containment (a secondary channel) so as not to spam, and also so my bestie/nemesis and I can have one conversation excited about something they're doing while at the same time having another conversation dunking on each other for liking Ateez... then what of it...

[thechekhov]

Don’t worry Fjord, they’re barely aware you’re even there. 

[flamingfalcon3]

Hello! I have finally finished the first chapter of my first Jori fanfic. I’m still trying to get a feel for the character interactions but I think I’m starting to get the hang of it! I’m gonna start posting to ao3 once i get that account set up (and figure out a title lol) but I might as well post the first chapter here! Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

Jade knew her girlfriend was hiding something. 

Tori was not a hard person to read. Hell, the girl practically wore her heart on her sleeve. It was so easy to guess what she was feeling at all times that Tori had all but given up trying to conceal her emotions. 

So, when Jade noticed that Tori was a bit more high-strung and stressed than usual, it wasn’t hard for her to conclude that there was something on her mind. 

It also helped that Tori was an awful liar. 

“What’s up with you?” Jade asked casually during lunch one afternoon.

“Nothing!” the singer squeaked suspiciously. She cleared her throat and attempted to regain composure. “Nothing is up. Everything is great!”

Jade frowned slightly, not at all convinced, but decided just to drop it for the time being as the rest of their friend group arrived at the table. 

The rest of the day was uneventful. Sikowitz made them all tapdance while performing a scene to “demonstrate how important it is to stay in character no matter what the character may be doing” or whatever and then spent the rest of the class monologuing about how a squirrel got trapped in his bathroom. 

Jade sighed a breath of relief as the final bell rang and cut Sikowitz off just as he was about to go into detail about the standoff he had with the rodent. The only one seemingly more anxious to get out of the classroom than Jade was her girlfriend, who was out the door before the bell even finished ringing. Their friends glanced at each other in confusion. 

“Maybe she really hates squirrels?” Robbie suggested. The others considered it for a moment before shrugging and forgetting about it a second later, exiting the classroom.

Jade strode over to Tori, who was frantically throwing books into her backpack from her locker. Jade leaned back against the locker next to Tori’s while folding her arms across her chest. 

“You’re in a hurry,” the goth commented while watching the girl struggle to cram a science textbook into her bag. 

“Jade!” Tori jumped slightly, seemingly startled by Jade’s presence.

“That’s me,” she responded dryly. “Did you forget about our date after school today?”

The singer’s eyes widened in realization and her hand flew to her forehead as she let out a groan

“Jade, oh my god, I am so sorry! I completely forgot!” she confessed, clearly feeling guilty she had forgotten they’d planned to have sushi after school ended.  

“It’s alright,” Jade replied coolly, quirking the corner of her mouth up slightly to convey to Tori she wasn’t upset with her. “What’s got you in such a rush anyway?”

Tori paused for a moment, staring down at her converse.

“Oh, umm… I promised my mom I would help her with… something,” she mumbled.

“Something…?” Jade probed, hoping to get a little more context on what had her girlfriend so worked up. Tori, however, would not offer her any.

“It’s not important. I swear I’ll make it up to you,” Tori slung her bag over her shoulder before stepping towards Jade and planting a short but sweet kiss to her lips. She then turned and began walking towards the exit. 

“You better! I can’t have people think I got stood up!” Jade called out after her, earning a hearty laugh from her girlfriend as she left the building. 

The goth rolled her eyes, amused by Tori’s refusal to admit what it was she was helping her mother with. It must be super embarrassing or something. 

Jade was halfway through entering her locker combination when she remembered something that gave her pause.

Tori’s parents were out of town for the week. Trina had a showcase and they needed an excuse not to show up. Why would she need to help her mom with something if-?

Jade’s phone lit up with a message from Tori directed towards the group chat, asking if anyone could lend her $100 bucks. The goth furrowed her brows. Tori rarely asked for money, and never more than $10 dollars at a time.

Tori Vega, what the hell are you up to? 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All Jade could think about for the rest of the day was how strange her girlfriend was acting. She wasn’t responding to her text messages and apparently none of their friends had heard from her either. It wasn’t like Tori at all, and Jade’s curiosity was slowly turning into concern. 

She knew it was silly to be worried. Tori was a big girl, after all. Still, why would she need $100 bucks on such short notice? And what was with her skittish and secretive attitude? 

Maybe she was in trouble with someone. Maybe she needed to pay them money in order to keep them at bay. 

The thought was so absurd that Jade almost burst out laughing as soon as it entered her mind. This is Tori she was talking about. Miss “I have never stayed out past curfew” Vega. Not exactly the type to get tangled up in criminal activity.

Still, Jade couldn’t help but feel uneasy about Tori’s radio silence. It wouldn’t hurt to pay her a visit, right?

15 minutes later she was climbing through her girlfriend’s bedroom window, which Tori for some reason always kept unlocked. Tori wasn’t there, but her backpack was on her bed and her phone was on her desk. Jade let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding as she sank down onto the bed. Not 10 seconds later she heard the sound of footsteps and the bedroom door creaked open. In walked Tori who jumped five feet in the air and shrieked upon seeing someone in her room.

“Jade?” Tori yelped. “What are you doing here?”

“You weren’t answering my texts,” the goth deadpanned. 

“So you broke into my house?” 

“I didn’t break in. Your window was unlocked,” 

“That’s still breaking in!”

“Is it really, though?”

“Yes!” 

Jade was about to argue further when she noticed Tori was holding a grocery bag, and its contents looked quite heavy based on how far the bottom was sagging. 

“Whatcha got there?” She asked, gesturing towards the bag. Tori glanced at it quickly before fixing her gaze back on Jade. 

“Just some stuff for a science project,” she stated, trying to sound nonchalant.

“Tori,” Jade huffed. “We are in the same science class. We’re lab partners. We don’t have a science project.”

Tori stammered helplessly, trying and failing to come up with some explanation for what was in the bag. Jade groaned in annoyance, fed up with whatever game her girlfriend was playing.

“I don’t understand why you won’t just tell me what’s going on! You know it doesn’t matter what it is since my opinion of you can’t get any low-” Jade was interrupted by a strange noise coming from somewhere in the room. She immediately turned to locate the source of the sound.  

Tori could only watch helplessly as the goth scoured every inch of her room before finally tearing open the doors to her closet. A tiny fuzzy creature emerged from the darkness. And then another. And then another. They kept emerging from the closet until there were seven tiny kittens of various colors and patterns wandering around the room. 

Jade slowly looked back up at her girlfriend, confusion written all over her face.

“How-how did those get in there?” Tori stammered, trying her very best to feign ignorance as all the kittens ran towards her meowing hungrily. 

Unfortunately her “very best” still wasn’t very good. 

“Tori, why were there cats in your closet?” Jade asked, still absolutely bewildered by the scene that was unfolding. 

The singer realized there was no way she could talk her way out of this one, and just gave her girlfriend a guilty look before opening her mouth.

“Remember last week when there was that sudden downpour in downtown Los Angeles?” Jade nodded. “Well, I was walking home from Nozu’s when I heard strange noises coming from an alleyway. I went to check to see what it was and-”

“Wait, you heard strange noises coming from an alleyway in downtown Los Angeles at night and you went to go check it out?” Jade asked incredulously. Jesus, Jade doesn’t know how her girlfriend has managed to survive for this long considering her self-preservation instincts were non-existent. Tori just rolled her eyes in response.”

“As I was saying, I went to go check out what the strange noises were and… well,” she turned to look at the kittens scampering around her bedroom. 

Jade brought her hand up to her face to pinch the bridge of her nose.

“So let me get this straight, you wandered into a back alley while it was raining and found kittens and decided the best thing to do would be to take them home?” Jade was still bewildered by her girlfriend. 

“Well when you put it that way it sounds like a stupid idea,” Tori blushed while avoiding eye contact. Jade sighed but took a step closer to her. 

“I mean, I always assumed you would be one of those lesbians who would have like ten cats but I thought that would start after you moved out of your parents’ house,” she smirked. 

“Hey!” Tori let out a mock-offended gasp while swatting Jade’s arm playfully. “I mean, I probably will have to move out once they come home and discover I’ve been hiding kittens in my room despite my father being deathly allergic to them.”  

Why was Jade attracted to such a moron? 

“Can’t you just give them to a shelter or something?” she asked gently. Tori shook her head softly.

“I thought about it but the pounds are apparently really full this time of year so there’s a significant possibility that they'll get…” Tori paused, unable to even finish the thought. “It’s just… they’ve been through so much in the short few weeks they’ve been alive and I can’t just abandon them now!”

Stupid Tori and her stupid heart of gold. The goth groaned and tilted her head back.

“Ugh, fine. I’ll help you with you’re dumb kitten problem,” Jade’s heart fluttered a little as she watched Tori’s face lit up like a christmas tree. 

“Really?” She gleamed. “How?”

“Well, I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who would be interested in adopting tiny kittens. Especially if you go into detail about their tragic backstory and stuff. People are suckers for that kind of stuff,” Jade stated. “You could like, advertise them on The Slap and try to get them adopted before your parents come back.”

Tori chewed at her bottom lip, contemplating Jade’s suggestion.

“That’s… not a bad idea. People advertise things on The Slap all the time,” she hesitated for a moment and her face fell. “Ugh, wait. Trina follows me. If she finds out I’m hiding kittens in my closet she’ll rat me out for sure.” 

Jade closed her eyes and sighed deeply. God, she can’t believe she was about to say this.

“I guess… I could… post about the kittens on my page, or whatever,” she grimaced. Tori’s grin got so wide Jade was concerned her face was about to split in half. 

“You would do that for me?” she exclaimed. “But, your reputatio-”

“My reputation died as soon as I changed my status to ‘in a relationship with Tori Vega’,” Jade snorted. “Kittens would be nowhere near as embarrassing as you.”

Tori was beaming at her girlfriend despite the insult, chuckling lightly as she wrapped her arms around Jade’s neck and peppering her face with soft kisses before finally connecting their lips. The goth let out a content sigh in the back of her throat and attempted to deepen the kiss while pushing Tori backwards to the bed. However, Tori hummed and broke the kiss leaving Jade more than a little confused. 

“Sorry, I-” the singer stammered. “I would feel weird making out in front of…” 

Jade quirked her eyebrows up in amusement.

“In front of… the cats?” she asked, barely suppressing a laugh. Tori nodded, cheeks red with embarrassment. Jade just chuckled and rested her forehead against her girlfriend’s. 

“Jesus Christ, Tori.”

[sarahxalice]

Character Introduction - Meww Hatsune

--Edits/Updates-- --Edited 8/30/21-- Organized body type information into a list rather than a paragraph.

Hello first post here, maybe I’ll try and setup a format or whatever, but I’ll just go with the flow for now. This very first post will be of my Main and very first OC, Meww Hatsune.

--Origin and Inspirations-- Her origins are quite fuzzy a bit as she is by far my oldest character. She originated as either a character concept to either represent myself online and in games, or as a DND character. She was most definitely used as both and for an extremely long time. Of course character development happens over time and isn’t all at once, it’s just a question of when a solid basis was made for her.

Her name is a bit easier to talk about, while my memory is terrible I can at least probably pull a few references I came across that inspired it. One of the main sources of inspiration was Nyu from the anime Elfen Lied. Unfortunately am currently failing to recall other name inspirations, I can recall having around 3 and yet am missing the others. If I can I will edit this post to update this part, if not I will just make a new post later on adding on information.

As far as inspirations for appearance, characters like Lucy and Nyu from Elfen Lied, Zoey from Tokyo Mew Mew and Yuno Gasai from Mirai Nikki. Main inspiration from these characters is her pink hair and eyes. Skin tone and clothing preferences are based on myself and my own preferences.

Inspirations for her personality while partly coming from characters like Yuno Gasai, a majority of it is just something I was taught about when making characters for the first time for a DND campaign. Which was basically to take a personality trait from yourself and just exaggerate it. And essentially it would be close enough to yourself so it would be easy to roleplay while also not being a complete self-insert.

--Appearance-- As for her appearance, she is shown in my tumblr profile image on the left. Going into more detail I will break it up between her physical appearance and her fashion choices.

-Body Type: -Race: Human (Most Commonly), Half-Demon, Demon -Ethnicity: American (Most commonly) -Sex/Gender: Cis Female -Romantic/Sexual Interests: ♥ Girls ♥ Girls ♥ Girls ♥ (Self-claimed “Super Gay”) -Height: ~5ft 2in -Weight: ~100-110lbs -Physique: Lean musculature (Very fit and active) -Skin Tone: Pale White -Hair: Short, soft, messy/wild Pink hair (Varies between pale pink[255,170,255], neon pink[255,0,255], dark reddish pink[120,0,70] and dark pink[180,50,180]). Eyebrows are neat and moderately thin, usually matching the color of her hair. -Eyes: Tend to be sharp and intimidating. Color usually a bright, near glowing, neon pink. -Age: Typically a young teen to adult, roughly in the range of 16 to 21. -Other: Teeth vary between normal human teeth, adding a fang(s), or razor teeth similar to Soul Eater from the anime Soul Eater.

-Clothing Fashion: For fashion, she typically wears a zip up hoodie, cargo pants, combat boots, and a plain black t-shirt. For some extra details she likes chains, belts, buckles and zippers. Most prominently everything she wears is black, if there is any additional color to her outfit it would be pink as a trim highlight or supplementary color (typically a bright or pale pink). Jewelry isn’t very interesting to Meww, however she sometimes has earrings and is more recently depicted with a ring on her left ring finger and will almost always have it from here on.

--Personality-- She is a rash energetic girl. Hyperactive and proactive, likes to do everything herself. Willing to help anyone she gets along with, willing to take on projects or jobs from others as she likes to just do things herself especially when it comes to fighting. Of course things vary based on the kind of world she is in, in a more fantasy setting she’s typically a fighter/adventurer while in a more “realistic” or modern world, she’s really into athletic fields (commonly things like kendo and track), though combat isn’t out of the question, again depending on the world setting. She has the mindset of a rebel and likes to do things her own way rather than taking orders from another person, though not completely disobedient to anyone, and is not entirely against working with others. She just has a tendancy to lead or go alone on things. She is headstrong, confident, positive, a hard worker, supportive, loving, caring, fierce, aggressive and reckless. Of course she is not without her negative qualities too, some of which have been already named such as reckless and her confidence can be overbearing to outright unreasonable and annoying, and at times even worse. While she is a caring and loving person, she can also be really cruel, uncaring, cold and even sometimes sadistic and heinous. Of course interactions depend highly on the person or situation theyre involved with. As for some more negative qualities, she is very apprehensive and more likely to act negatively towards males than she is females. This as such also affects her romantic interest in people as well, making her solidly a lesbian and having no interest in guys in the least. She’s even hesitant to make friends with the opposite gender and acts very standoff-ish with them (this dislike of males can even be seen with other species such as animals as well). As for females she really loves girls, she loves how they’re all so pretty, beautiful, kind and finds them all amazing. Which kind of skews her views on right and wrong with it. She is way more forgiving to a female who does questionable things and is willing to forgive them or make excuses for their actions. Whereas males she almost is ready to condecend them and look down on them as if they are a bad person before even knowing anything of them. As far as children go she is conflicted on them. She tends to dislike children as well, but can also show kindness and caring towards them. As far as the world around her, she absolutely loves nature and flora. She enjoys fauna too, but not nearly as much, and as far as certain types of fauna, she actually dislikes for example, reptiles and insects. For time of day she loves the night and when its darker out, enjoying gloomy weather as well, such as rain and overcast. She has a neutral feeling towards storms, not particularly enjoying lightning or thunder, but is not disturbed by it. She loves nature to the point of even happy to sleep outside, usually in high places such as in a tree or on a roof. She absolutely loves the snow and snowy regions thus making her favorite season by a landslide, winter.

--Other Information-- Here is where I will put other information that I didn’t feel belonging to any of the previous groups of information, and nor do I believe I could write a whole section on it by itself.

-Relatives: Miku Hatsune (Mother; Yes, the Vocaloid), Teto Kasane (Mother; Yes, the Utauloid), Sylvia Hatsune (Wife), Miku Hatsune (Daughter; Named after her grandmother), Chloe Hatsune (Daughter)

-Allies: Sarah Alice (Close Friend; Soul Twin)

-Likes: Girls, Love, Fighting, Adventuring, Witchcraft, Tea, Cats, Sky, Puns, Sarcasm

-Dislikes: Guys, Not doing anything/Waiting

Fighting Style/Powers: She highly enjoyed close-ranged combat, primarily using her bare hands for hand-to-hand combat, a scythe, a spear, or a one-handed sword with an empty off-hand (rapiers are a particular favorite type of swords she prefers). As far as ranged combat goes, she enjoys and prefers bows, pistols and sniper rifles. As far as magic she uses it slightly more often than ranged weaponry. Prefering the elements of Dark and Ice, while next most commonly used would be fire. Other kinds of magic she has been depicted with is the ability to manipulate blood (while not inspired from, but was rienforced with/from Mirai Kuriyama from Beyond the Boundary) and telekinesis. She thrives on and is extremely fast, being usually one of the fastest people in her world. This also gives her a fairly strong reaction time as well.She sometimes is depicted as fairly strong physically as well, though not usually too far off from average in the world she is in. As far as style, she enjoys and tends to go along with more flair and aesthetic choices in her fighting, sometimes at the cost of efficiency. For strategy she tends to forsake it, while she is fairly intelligent and has the capability to be quite strategic, she tends to more commonly rely on raw emotion and instinct instead resulting in a more feral and sometimes beastial fighting style. As she can be reckless, she is highly aggressive and does not tend to protect herself, sometimes even getting hurt unnecissarily. As she really loves the sky she often dreams of flying, so she usually finds some  way to do so.

Possible Quotes: -”I love you.” -”Fight me!” -”Oh no~ how awful.” -“But why?” -”Meow.”

[robertreich]

Why I’m Still Hopeful About America

If climate change, nuclear standoffs, assault weapons, hate crimes, mass killings, Russian trolls, near-record inequality, kids locked in cages at our border, and Donald Trump in the White House don’t occasionally cause you feelings of impending doom, you’re not human.

But I want you to remember this: As bad as it looks – as despairing as you can sometimes feel – the great strength of this country is our resilience. We bounce back. We will again. We already are.

Not convinced?

First, come back in time with me to when I graduated college in 1968. That year, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated. Our cities were burning. Tens of thousands of young Americans were being ordered to Vietnam to fight an unwinnable and unjust war, which ultimately claimed over 58,000 American lives and the lives of over 3 million Vietnamese. The nation was deeply divided. And then in November of that year, Richard Nixon was elected president. 

I recall thinking this nation would never recover. But somehow we bounced back.

In subsequent years we enacted the Environmental Protection Act. We achieved marriage equality for gays and lesbians. We elected a black man to be president of the United States. We passed the Affordable Care Act.

Even now, it’s not as bleak as it sometimes seems. ​In 2018 we elected a record number of women, people of color, and LGBTQ representatives to Congress, including the first Muslim women.​ ​Eighteen states raised their minimum wages.

Even in traditionally conservative states, surprising things are happening. In Tennessee, a Republican legislature has ​enacted free community college​ and ​raised taxes for infrastructure.​ Nevada has expanded ​voting rights​ and ​gun controls​. New Mexico has increased​ spending by 11 percent and ​raised​ its minimum wage by 60 percent. Teachers have gone on strike in Virginia, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Kentucky, and North Carolina — and won. The public sided with the teachers.

In several states, after decades of tough-on-crime policies, conservative groups have joined with liberals to reform criminal justice systems. ​Early childhood education​ and alternative energy promotion​ have also expanded nationwide, largely on a bipartisan basis.

Now, come forward in time with me.

Look at the startling diversity of younger Americans. ​Most Americans now under 18 years old are ethnically Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Islander, African-American, or of more than one race.​ ​In ten years, it’s estimated that most Americans under ​35​ will also be people of color or of mixed races.​ ​Thirty years from now, most of us will be.​ 

That diversity will be a huge strength. We will be more tolerant, less racist, less xenophobic.

Our young people are also determined to make America better. I’ve been teaching for almost 40 years, and I’ve never taught a generation of students as dedicated to public service, as committed to improving the nation and the world as is the generation I’m now teaching. That’s another sign of our future strength.

Meanwhile, ​most college students today are women​, which means that in future years even more women will be in leadership positions – in science, politics, education, nonprofits, and in corporate suites. That will also be a great boon to America.

I don’t want to minimize the problems we now have. I just want to remind you of how resilient America has been, and how well situated we are for the future. 

Never give up fighting for a more just society. 

The forces of greed and hate would prefer you give up, because that way they win it all. But we have never given up. And we never will.

[danwhobrowses]

Ghost of Tsushima: Thoughts, Ideas and Hopes for DLC and Sequels

So I recently Platinum’d Ghost of Tsushima, I finished the story last week after 30 entries of livestreams which saw a whopping viewership of at most 2 people including one asshole that decided to spoil the end of Act II before I got there because I was playing stealthy and the way I wanted to play. But then wrapped up the Achievements on my own time. After a bit of stewing I’m ready to talk gush about it, including what I liked, a small bit of stuff I disliked and stuff I would suggest for future DLC and Sequel(s)

Spoilers for the Game, unlike that Commenter on my Stream I will not Spoil you on this, it is truly something you should experience for yourself

Because Good Lord, What A Game. Easily my Game of the Year, which compared to all the big hitter titles released is amazing, I mean Crash Bandicoot could still blow me away and Cyberpunk, Watch Dogs, Godfall, AC Valhalla and Miles Morales in waiting but probably not in this way. It is a magnificent game, one made with fantastic care and beauty, but before I go all out, let’s get the negatives out of the way 出る杭は打たれる。: A Flawed Masterpiece Ghost of Tsushima is brilliant but not without its faults. Most of these faults are admittedly minuscule and fixable, but until they are fixed they remain flaws. The biggest disappointment for me with the game was the lack of Japanese lip syncing. I loved the Japanese track, it also highly appealed to me to hear One Piece’s Roronoa Zoro voice Jin, but you have to kinda avoid looking at the mouths because it doesn’t match up, the models still speak in English and it’s a heavy shame that can kill some immersion. I guess they didn’t have the finances for it, because they could’ve done the lip syncs at the same time as they did the English ones if they had the Japanese track too. Combat for the most part was great, aiming could be wonky at times and Jin’s attacks didn’t carry on to a 1 foot ledge, but my main gripe with combat was the Camera getting in the way. It was adjustable most times, but other times it was not. Doing standoffs in the tall grass was night impossible at the later stages without the knees giving us a tell, one standoff I had was completely obstructed by a tree - I’m not making it up, a tree was literally all I saw for the Standoff. You lose so much health for failing a standoff too, bit harmful in later levels. The remaining issues are probably more personal, I didn’t quite like some of the sword kit designs - the ones with fluffy sleeves and I didn’t really like the armor dye you get for 100%ing the achievements, some weapons seemed to lose their luster in later parts of the game (particularly the half bow and Explosive Arrow, the former was only good for killing the angry doggos and the latter only killed Mongols if near another explosive to stack), that one Masako quest mission where you have to follow and pick off Straw Hats one by one without being seen, but will fail if you pull a triple assassination before the outpost where Masako’s lesbian lover was leading them all to so there’s more Straw Hats to blow my cover! (it wasn’t difficult it just annoyed me that it failed me for killing them all early) and the completionist in me hates that there are empty slots in the arrow and blowgun sections, but they can be worked in what I’ll talk about a bit later down the line, alongside some minor loose threads. Also you killed my horse man!

Your horse will accompany you on your entire journey - Ghost of Tsushima UI Message

Don’t you dare lie to me like that again Sucker Punch! Just because you’re named that doesn’t mean you can live up to it, we already lost one horse at the beach! Had to spend the final act with Not-Sora and Kaze with a hole in my heart never to be filled. But with that dealt with, let’s talk about some things I loved about the game

花は桜木人は武士 :  Living into a Legend With these games it is very easy to fall into the Elder Scrolls prototype of an array fun side quests and exploration and a so-so main story. Ghost of Tsushima though decided to have both the array of side quests and exploration and a great, complex and partly tragic story. There were many times I wanted to get back to the main story but held off because I wanted to be prepared. Long distances didn’t feel too bad to travel when the roads were uncharted either thanks to radiant battles, new settlements, vanity gear and side missions to ease you on the way. Additionally, the characters are for the most part fantastic, I cared for the safety of most of my allies and Jin himself, I wanted the Khan dead in a cerebral villain (albeit one whose final battle fell into cowardice) and I was open to the complexities of Ishikawa and Tomoe. I did feel that Shimura was being a tad ungrateful but I think it was intended for us to be frustrated to the edicts of the Samurai code - my frustration led me so much to deep dive to prove myself justified since the code was subjective and many agreed to aspects of ‘win no matter what’ and ‘do what protects the people the most’. Along with the main quest was paired with the character journeys of our allies as well as the Mythic tales which granted some extra strength and challenges to overcome in order to expand Jin’s arsenal. I particularly liked the observation and killing of leaders to learn new stances, as well as the widely acclaimed Stand-Off and the duels. The Arkhamverse fan in me did appreciate the focused hearing for stealth and that assassination speed could be upgraded. The idea of collecting vanity gear, armour dyes and equipment that are remains of the conflict showed that SP had completely immersed their plot into the world of Tsushima, with a great amount of exploration and nuances nodding to Japanese folklore And Tsushima is certainly stunning, it’s amazing that the PS4 can hold this much when we know how the PS5 is meant to be with ray tracing. The landscapes are beauteous which makes exploration and travel much more fulfilling, as well as the photo mode and the scenic builds to some of the major battles. What’s also wonderful is the calligraphy cutscenes for Mythic Tales and the loading screens, some wonderful artistry. Artistry which is added to by the brilliant uses of Haiku spots, Bamboo Strikes, Lighthouses, Shrines, Altars which you bow to, Fox dens where you can pet the Foxxos and even the Hot Springs for some ‘Man-Butt Action’, each positions that fit to Japanese media in soaking in a moment without killing any pace, especially added to the fact that each one contributes to a purpose. I will admit, I chose wrong at the end, I was thinking more of Shimura (said ungrateful uncle)’s honour rather than what Jin would what, feeling that Shimura would’ve done it himself had Jin not. But seeing the spare ending made me wish I chose that one and it’s something I’ll touch on later. But both endings are fitting and tragic for Jin’s journey from Samurai to the Ghost, being inspired by his allies and his connection to Yuna, there has been conflict throughout regarding the line of protection, honour and vengeance explored through other people’s tales that blend together perfectly with the main plot.  It is pretty political as well with the argument presented by Jin and Shimura’s conflict. Samurai while still romanticised were still shown to be bound to the blind loyalty towards the Shogun and Jito, you did not defy because it inspired others to think freely. Jin became a champion of a people by defending the people rather than listening to the jito - represented by the shogunate - and their stringent ideas that the Samurai who failed on the beach would be able to out-muster the force and brutality of the Mongol invasion regardless of the collateral and yet still call that honour. In the current climate in 2020, that hits a chord a little closer than expected. And the main story certainly has their stellar moments, the ups and downs really hit you - like killing my freaking horse! I had to lose Yuriko, Taka and Sora in a single playthrough. Losing Taka was inevitable, but still heartbreaking because of how much we struggled to save him and how much we want to still be Yuna’s friend, but then the highs just blow you away from the opening act, Ghost Stance, raiding Castle Kaneda and Shimura and the final raid at Port Izumi. Also did I mention that you can pet the Foxxos? Because that’s very important, also NPCs walk at your pace most of the time, which is a fantastic addition. I could probably go deeper but there’s other stuff I want to cover, but understand that the world and the story is wonderful and if you’re a fan of Assassin’s Creed, Arkhamverse and just Japanese culture in general this should tick your boxes. And hopefully there’s more to come.

石の上にも三年 : Strait to DLC The sad thing that happens when a good game is over is the void. Even if its days, having nothing left of the game to play is still a shame, and I know that Legends DLC is announced, but multiplayer involving fighting Oni as mythic legends isn’t my pace, I’m still not done with Jin and I feel like there are things we could still do. There are still 3 conflicts Jin’s story never resolved that could still be resolved now, each as multi-layered quests. The first is this ‘Ghost Army’ mentioned by the wagon guy in Omi, we are not leading this so who is? We may not be able to stop them but we could reduce the amount of people thinking we’re leading them to fight. The second is Daizo, if you don’t know that name it’s because the guy is never seen in the game, you only read about him in the Records of ‘Conversations with the Khan’. This Japanese Monk clearly has a thing for the late Khotun and he feels that the Ghost is being a dishonorable monster, this Khan lover is still at large and a confidant of Khotun, we could link with Norio in a quest to ensure he doesn’t rally or try to spread his appreciation of the Khan to others to try and complete Khotun’s work. The final conflict is one that eats me up: How did the Mongols Know About the Poison? Yuriko died showing me how to make the poisons, made more potent from her own herbal poisons which were crushed down, if she didn’t tell and I didn’t tell, who told? Because the Mongols drank the evidence and we could make a story of an Omi village traitor or even someone from Shimura’s camp leaking the info to the Khan to try and preserve ‘honour’. On top of these loose ends I’d very much like to see our allies again, even if they’re just at their home doing their own thing, as well as some other minor side characters like the Tadayori descendant Kaede, Flame Swordsman Bettomaru (who would’ve both been mighty useful with this Mongol affair beyond their sole missions) and the Yarikawa Archer Daikoku, I also would like to see confirmation on Jin and Yuna - there is clearly something there but that could be just me. What is also just me would be the suggestion of a shrine that can let you redo the Shimura decision, it’s not a too ‘out-there’ thing to do either considering we fought a Tengu. The shrine could be for Omoikane, Kami of wisdom and intelligence or Ame-no-Koyane, the ‘First in Charge of Divine Affairs’ which’d subject the player to a gauntlet of bosses past; Ryuzo, Kotun and Shimura, if the player goes against their initial decision, they will trade their ghost armour dye for the other and get a Charm of Pondering, if they stick to their guns they get both ghost armour dyes and a Charm of Strengthened Stance. In similar vein we could have a master Mythic Tale that stacks the duels of those tales into one for another special attack, weapon or armour. It’s also possible that we could add more duels, some remnants trying to avenge Khotun or even some Samurai sent by the Shogun in promise of becoming Jito. Likewise we can use this to complete the weapons set; for the Half Bow, take the Mongols’ poison arrows (which can be a reward for finding who leaked the poison to them) which can just eat at lesser enemies’ health and take a chunk of stronger enemies’ health before resolving out of it, as well as a sticky arrow that could slow enemies or weaken their armour, or a perfume arrow that can mess with the falcons and angry doggo’s senses. For the Long Bow we could have...okay I’m drawing a blank here but I’m not meant to do all the work XD For the Blowgun at least you could have a Blinding Dart to aid in stealth and a Panic Dart to increase chances of Terrify. We could even have a few more upgrades to our ghost weapons and stance combats, even increase the amount of kills Ghost Stance can yield. In addition to more Fox Dens, Shrines, maybe new resources to bolster upgrades, Sword Kits, Haikus, Banners, Flute Songs, dyes and so on. But I know what you’re thinking, we can’t put that all in Tsushima? We’ve covered the entire island and it’s unlikely that SP would make a fictitious island. And to that I say, I have that covered. In the Tsushima Strait between the island and the mainland there is Iki Island, part of the same prefecture and equally ravaged by the Mongols during the invasion, it’s also the base of pirates which can offer a stop point for a Tomoe reunion or simply travel via Umugi Cove. A small bit of expansion wouldn’t hurt, as long as Iki isn’t planned for something else that is.

能ある鷹は爪を隠す : Hopes for a Sequel Now part of me would be content if this was a one and done, the game shines perfectly on its own. But I would not turn one down. Though many would feel that Jin’s journey is done (I even heard a suggestion of Tomoe, I could see that but not right now, maybe for a third) but not me, there’s still a few glaring issues at hand. For one, the Shogun now wants you dead, new clans are moving in on you and there will probably be a new Jito regardless of the ending choice because of Shimura’s failure, Adachi will also need to look at another clan taking its land. There’s also the vacuum left behind by the clans’ subsidiaries; Nagao particularly but also Adachi’s rival clan Kikuchi, there’s easily possibilities to use canon Sō, Abiru, Shōni and Imagawa, there’s also room for Kikuchi Takefusa, who survived both Mongol invasions  . A sequel could offer some clan territorial tensions in that regard as the people of Tsushima side with the Ghost over the mainland. That conflict is one we have touched on in the end of the first, Jin has fought for his country’s safety so how will he act when his country wants him dead? The first was a story of sacrifice perhaps the next can be a story of maintaining his legend, inspiring the mainland Samurai and even redeeming himself in the eyes of the non-Tsushima natives. It’s also worth remembering that Komoda was the beginning of the invasion, and there was a second invasion 6 years later where Tsushima was attacked once more, the death of non-canon Khotun could spark other higher ups of Kublai’s ranks to avenge or clean up for Khotun, Kublai also had counsel from different nations to understand his enemy so we could have an even more vicious and cerebral enemy be made, or even a group of enemies led by advisors like Liu Kan or Yao Shu, maybe even Marco Polo if we move the time after the first invasion. In terms of gameplay we could also see Jin expand from Tsushima to Iki and maybe some more naval warfare, growing in his equipment (like Caltrops, Kusari-Fundo and Suntetsu) and maybe even his weapon, an Ono, Jitte or a Naginata to rotate with his not-yet-made Katana to combat with Samurai or the army of a Mongol threat, maybe even use the Bo-Hiya for ranged fire archery learned from the Hwacha. And like the Mass Effect games (or Dragon Ball Xenoverse if you wanna pick a franchise that didn’t end in a bitter aftertaste) you could have the option to transfer over some data from the PS4 save to the next one, which’d inevitably be on PS5 at the least - also don’t be surprised if this gets a PS5 remaster too, especially if it does win Game of the Year. What I suggested for DLC could be used here too, if there is a sequel with Jin I really, really hope that SP don’t opt for the route of killing Jin (or Yuna) off for effect, I was nervous about the current game ending with Hara Kiri and I’d rather not have that or a downer of a death for the legendary Ghost (I am a happy endings guy after all). An alternative route to go (other than following Tomoe to the mainland to rip off the Ghost) is to work backwards, call it ‘Ghosts of Tsushima’ working towards a story of a more ancient time, where a thief could become a samurai clan. A clan Sakai or Shimura origin would sell in that way too and avoid the idea that we have to start again from zero but still have the more ‘dishonorable’ stealth tactics.

義は険しい山よりも重く、死は大鳥の羽よりも軽い : Conclusion In the end, this game was worth the wait, worth the delays and worth the price tag. I feel like this will be one of the games I’ll fondly remember when thinking of the PS4, which has truly had a stellar library of awesome games like Spider-Man, God of War, the Crash, Ratchet & Clank and Spyro Remasters, DMCV, Jedi: Fallen Order and more. This truly ticked the boxes for the anime nerd within me and the history buff, even the Haikus spurred the poet in me a little too. If anyone hasn’t played this game, they should, and I hope that Sucker Punch realises that people like me want to see more. If it stands alone so be it, but I’m not ready to leave Jin or Tsushima just yet. いってらっしゃい

[veridium]

spiderwebs

and WE’RE BACK. 

thanks again to everyone for being patient with this hiatus -- but you know we just couldn’t stay away. and to continue on with our halloween party special is just a non-negotiable. now, without further wait, here is the latest installment in the best worst okayest friendship fic ever!

and I just had to title it with a No Doubt track because, well, you’ll see. 

chapter masterpost // previous episode

--

It’s almost too good to be true. The way the stars have aligned to produce a perfect, movie-scene kind of night. So she had convinced herself for every part right up until they actually enter the house. Slowly but surely everything falls apart from there, though. Can’t have a fantasy kind of night without some flames doing as they do best, and bursting -- such is Olivia and Ellinor’s track record. 

Who can blame her, though, for believing in that fantasy? She’s walking up the carved stone steps with Cassandra. She’s living her baby bisexual dream of showing up somewhere with a woman who makes the world go dewy and sparkly and looks fucking hot in trim black clothes and -- okay, well, enough of that shit. 

Olivia has never entered a party with someone -- she’s the type to encounter, kiss, ditch, and tell. You could count on one hand the number of times she’s left accompanied. Historically what happens at the event, stays at the event. So when she shows up with a tall, dark, and gorgeous woman holding her hand, safe to say the skeletons in the closet she burst out of are all but manic. And oh, do the skulls turn. 

Right off the back the two couples diverge, and with good reason. From the moment Olivia invited Cassandra to this she knew there was something she’d have to do: introduce her to the queer corner. More of an anomaly than an institution, there was one at every party: where all the queer people, predominantly women, congregated to drink, gossip, and relay the code red signal whenever someone’s ex showed up.

The place is covered in people which is exactly what she expects and demands. If Olivia hadn’t been already familiarized with House Pavus she would be hard pressed to locate the spot -- the spot within the spot, so to speak. Back living room couches are all that’s on her mind. Well, sorta. 

“What’s a bitch gotta do to get a drink in her hand?!” she exclaims in the foyer, and her wish is the people’s command. A drink from a trusted passerby -- or at least, from the look on Cassandra’s face, they better be -- solves the problem. 

Olivia exhales and takes a swig, sighing with dramatic relief at the taste of whiskey and whatever else. It’ll do perfectly. She goes to offer some to Cassandra but remembers the way she looked when they discussed debauchery over spaghetti, and curbs herself.  “Okay, well, let’s go!” she guides her into the belly of the beast, Cassandra hand holding onto her from behind for dear life.

Every few seconds Liv turns back to look at her, and she looks unphased but also unimpressed. It’s hard to be when everyone is tugging and calling out to her, kissing cheeks and saying ‘how are you?’ with no intention of actually listening. It’s easy in these moments to believe wholeheartedly in how confident Cassandra is, even as her eyes flicker with every movement, every person they move past. She grins, but she doesn’t say anything, even as people stare her down or give her smiles. She’s new, and she’s shiny -- Olivia can remember such a lion’s den. So, her flingers pulse their grip right back every time she tightens her grip.

“It’s gonna be okay, I promise,” she hangs back to whisper into her shoulder. Immediately after, yet another stranger comes around and grabs Olivia by the waist. 

“Liv!” 

a recognizable, smart twang of tone. Olivia’s head twists quick and she sees a bright, chiseled face. Purple baseball cap on backwards, its strap frayed and curled, and a playful expression. 

“How’s my girl?”

“Char!” Olivia chimes, and reaches her free arm around her neck, pulling in for a hug. “Cassandra,” she says once free, “this is Charter. We met volunteering for a local camp one summer!”

Cassandra stands still even as bodies and music quake around them. Her hand lets go of Olivia’s, and she slips it into her back pocket. Okay, then. But she manages to grin wider. 

“Hi there.”

Char’s brows raise higher than a stoner on a ferris wheel. “Cassandra...wait, shit, you’re the Cassandra on the--oh, fuck,” her wrist goes to her mouth as she stifles a laugh on astonishment. “I knew it!”

Olivia inhales sharp, fending the first cringe of the night as Cassandra shakes her head once.

Cassandra’s head twitches to the side. “Knew what?”

“That you were so g--”

“Weeeerreeee so great! Right?” Olivia steps in and gives Char the most fine-tuned side-eye she’s ever given. “We didn’t really ever get a chance to see, since you don’t go out much.”

Char’s throat catches, and she matches Olivia’s curious glare, before putting her red solo cup to her lips. “Ahah, right. Uh, after all, no one can be not...great, with that kinda haircut.”

“Do you know where the rest of the group is? In the back with the couch, like always?” Olivia nudges her, trying to change the subject. She looks back at Cassandra, who seems a bit lost and uncomfortable, but still holding on. Jesus, this is gonna be harder than I thought, if everyone acts like this. 

Out from the ether as if a blessing from the universe, someone wraps around Char and pulls her along. “Dude, come on, Sarah told me someone’s boyfriend is saying how much he loves lesbians every time he meets one!” 

Well, it’s a party, and it wouldn’t be one if there weren’t some weird shit going down. Char tosses her head back and laughs as she is propelled along. Olivia sighs from having her questioned unanswered, but it quickly is dispelled at the sight of Char placing a hand on Cass’s shoulder. 

“Hey, call me when she’s done with you!” followed by a pat on said shoulder, like a ‘tough luck, buddy’ kind of move. 

Fuck. Olivia can only hear pieces with it, but it’s enough. Enough for her degree of utter mortification to surge. Cassandra’s look falls, but she holds off one of her infamous scowls. What a saint. She shrugs the hand off of her, but Char is too euphoric to notice as she departs with her friend. 

Olivia takes a half-second breath and smiles again. No need to compound the embarrassment by acting like it, right? 

“You okay?” 

Cassandra blinks, her brows rounding. “I’m not sure,” she tries her best to be louder than the music. “This place is...really crowded.”

Olivia smiles and takes hold of her hand. “I know, isn’t it great?! Come on, we’re almost to the spot.”

Nothing and no one will stop her from accomplishing this. Not even the sound of Cassandra asking ‘what did she mean by…’ and the rest of it being drowned out by Fall Out Boy from speakers two rooms over. Not that she would want to stop and answer such a question, anyway. 

At last they find the way into what would be a normal person’s living room, but for Dorian’s family is probably known as ‘place to sit your ass and breathe on Saturday afternoons between 2-8pm.’ A sectional couch and coffee table with portraits on the walls and bottles and cups sprinkled throughout the various shelves of smaller family paintings and pictures. Everything’s about image, here. The strobe lights flickering from the main room provide the main source of light in the otherwise dark room full of skulking faces and bodies dressed in denim and flannel.

But for Olivia, it’s anything but dreary.

“Liv!” hands go up in the air from the couch. It’s Josie, thank goodness, dressed in a black leather jumpsuit and boots, winged eyeliner so sharp they could slice open a can. 

“Cat woman, I presume,” Olivia hops from heel to heel as her beloved friend comes in for a hug. “Does this mean Theia is Batwoman?”

“No! I tried to convince her,” Josie stepped back and folded her arms. “She really wanted to work the ‘too cool for a costume’ angle this year.”

“Didn’t she do that--”

“Last year? And the one before? Yes.” She rolls her eyes and bits her lip playfully, before her attention goes to Olivia’s company. “Cassandra! You are here!” she beams even brighter than when she saw Olivia, which is not offensive in the least. 

Cassandra flinches, and leans in closer to Olivia’s side. “Hi, Josie. It’s...good to see you,” she says, easier. She even adds a slight hand wave.

“Are you enjoying yourself?”

“I...I am.” Polite of a response, though not convincing. That’s worrisome. 

Josephine nods. “Is this a costume, or are you on the same ideological boat as my sweet, stubborn lover?”

Cassandra chuckles lightly. “I...am afraid so. I’m not one for costumes.”

“I see. Well, you’ll find no shortage of like-minded peers here. Olivia, Ellinor, and I carry the team, as we always do. Which reminds me, don’t go anywhere, I need you to go up with me when they play Lip Gloss! You owe me!”

Olivia’s mouth goes agape with playful laughter. It occurs to her to worry about not seeing Ellinor, but, Ellinor can handle herself. Hopefully. In theory. There better not be whiskey in the party punch. 

“There she is!” Josie lurches onto her toes as Theia wraps an arm around her waist, bringing her in as she makes her appearance. Dressed in a dark blue button down tucked into jeans, there’s not one ounce of holiday cheer in her. Well, except for the look on her face -- that is actually quite terrifying. 

“Hey Liv,” she selectively nods with a half-smile. “Thought you weren’t coming. You didn’t answer my texts.”

Oh fuck. Shit. Dammit. Olivia winces and puts her manicured nail to her teeth. “Damn, Theia, I’m sorry. I meant to…”

“Nah, don’t worry,” she shrugs cooly. Ugh, she’s in her fuckboy mood. Her discerning, tipsy stare shifts to Olivia’s company, and the purple in her eyes go icy. “I see you had reason to be distracted.”

Olivia glances and sees Cassandra is taking on the standoff readily, shoulders broad as she slips one hand into her own back-pocket. 

“Hello, Theia,” she says with meticulous manners. “How are you?”

“Fantastic,” Theia says as she leans more possessively against the slightly shorter Josephine, “and you?”

“I--”

“Great, glad to hear it. Liv, uh, can I steal you away for a second?”’

Olivia blushes but not the good way: the kind that comes from embarrassment that the person she called her best friend would be so petty. Yet, nothing can really beat Ellinor screaming her head off in an apartment hallway, right? So, she squeezes Cassandra’s hand, exchanging a lot of apologetic cajoling, before she leaves her with Josephine. Something in the way Cassandra frowns but doesn’t stop her almost makes it worse. 

Theia doesn’t waste time taking a dose of whatever’s in her cup -- probably rum of some cola -- before she brings Olivia to the corner of the entryway, and leans up against the decorative enamel.

“You brought her? Dude!” she says mouth leaning into Olivia’s ear. The music is loud, but not that loud. Theia just wants to add to the veneer of exclusive, hush-hush Fight Club aesthetic.

“What the fuck?” Olivia spits back, drink held close. “It’s fine, she wanted to come, and I wanted to bring her. What’s the issue?”

Theia’s head shakes, her eyes wide with cocky disbelief. “What’s the issue? Liv, has that Blonde shampoo soaked into your brain?” as she asks, she thumps Olivia on the side of her head with her finger. Olivia flinches, just enough to see Cassandra look up from whatever conversation she’s having with Josie, and once again the blush appears.

She runs her fingers through her hair to save face and looks back at Theia, who seems all but sorry for the act. Usually their rough-housing dynamic is welcome trouble, but tonight, it’s anything but. 

“Stop acting like it’s the mafia!” she hisses, and looks off to the side to wander her gaze through the crowd aimlessly.

Theia snorts. “Dude, I’m not acting like it.” She takes another gulp of her drink and swallows stiff, cheeks puffed like a dude-bro. She’s really peacocking. “You know how ya’ll act at these parties. Suddenly you show up with tall, dark, and constipated and--”

“Hey,” Olivia nudges her so swiftly it knocks her off the wall she’s leaning on, “don’t talk about her like that. Got it?” It’s a stern tone that even she doesn’t expect, like she’s possessed all of a sudden and looking to battle for dominance of the gay sofa. 

Theia blinks in return for this bold cut against her, one brow shooting up. “Oh, so she whispers sweet things into your ear for a few days and suddenly all is forgotten?” Her hands fall to her sides, and her head tilts in further. “Just because you can, Liv, doesn’t mean your friends have to. Or maybe Ell can, since she’s all cozied up with that ham bone of hers.”

“You don’t have to do anything but be decent. Or is that too hard?” 

Olivia’s glare grows, and she gets ready to go off on her some more. But, as if via divine intervention, a familiar beat echoes through the walls and across the floor. 

Oh fuck, it’s our song. As in, her and Ellinor’s song. That song. The song that defines their friendship. One of them, anyway. There’s a collaborative discography. 

“Nicks, fuck, I have to find Ellinor. Uh…!” she starts fidgeting and bobbing her head to find Cassandra across the heads and shoulders between them, hopping a bit onto her heels. “Shit!”

Theia places a hand on her forearm and stabilizes her, and when they lock eyes, it’s as if the normal Theia -- the good-natured, helpful one -- is back online. “Hey, don’t worry, I got it.”

“What?” 

“I’ll go tell her you had to go dance with Ellinor.”

“But...but I wanted to--” I want her to come with me. Fuck, though, she probably doesn’t dance…

“Liv, come on,” Theia grins, her signature charm as she holds her drink up to her chest. “Don’t make her work harder for it. Just go, you’ll be back before she notices Josie’s checking her star chart.”

It’s not what her gut is agreeing to. In fact, it’s screaming “go get your woman, you idiot, you know better.” Yet, as she looks across and sees Cassandra talking, her hands across her chest like she does when she’s out on the field with her teammates, it’s almost too good to mess up. She looks the most at ease she’s been all night, and if anyone can be trusted to protect that besides herself, it’s Josephine. Josephine and Theia, of course. 

Theia elbows her in the ribs to knock her out of her staring, and Olivia steps back. Stevie has started singing, time is running out. 

“Okay, okay. Hold my drink?” Olivia grins as she passes her cup to her, sliding her fur off of her shoulders. She waves towards Cassandra’s direction before skiddadling down the hall like a woman on a mission. The last thing she sees is Theia tipping her invisible hat toward her before receding back into the lesbian batcave. That was a quick change in mood. 

Everyone’s tall and it’s annoying, but with courage and dangerously pointy shoes she makes her way back to the main hall by the kitchen where shaking and grinding bodies have conspired to make a dance floor. 

The  drunken seas part uniting her with her right-hand-woman, who is fending off some person who has their wig caught in her pauldrons somehow. When Olivia arrives on the scene, it’s to hear the tail end of a “you should really watch where you point those” comment, to which Ellinor gives a deadly side-glare. 

“These meager mortals,” she reviles, “don’t know how much of a gift I am.”

“Yeah, yeah, Kanye, we get it -- the song!”

“The song!” Ellinor grabs her by the hands and starts hopping up and down. People are incorrectly yelling the lyrics around them, and her vitriol is further vindicated. No matter, they’ll be the showstoppers. 

They push and shove their way to the center of the crowd and begin their deluge. Olivia tries her hardest to turn her brain off. This is the best part, after all. Dancing, losing track of time and space, being with the people she loves most. Only the nagging gut feeling hasn’t vanished, and soon enough Ellinor notices just how out-of-sync she is in their quintessential make-it-up-as-they-drink choreography. 

“What’s gotten in your stockings?” she yells into her ear during the ‘WOO, BABY WOO, WOO bridge.’ Olivia has to blink a few times while her brain synthesizes.

“Ugh, nothing! Nothing!” she waves her hands and starts doing some shoulder-shimmy move, but it’s not striking with the same spectacularity as it usually does. 

“You look like a sad parakeet! What is going on?”

Olivia looks off towards the ceiling corner and does her best to keep the show going. Stevie is still preaching the gospel, and Ellinor wants to have a therapy session? Blasphemy!

“Nothing!”

A poke in her ribs knocks her off beat, and she turns around with the little space she has between goth girl no. 43 and grunge boy no. 10. 

“Noth--”

“Sera and Dagna made things super awkward,” Ellinor gripes, cringing as she shakes her hips around. “I’m worried Cullen’s gonna think I’m some succubus.”

Ah. They take hold of each other and Olivia spins Ellinor around in a picture-perfect change, and they switch spots. Turning back around she finds Ellinor’s scowl has only deepened, and it makes her want to join her on the sinking ship.

“Theia is being super weird about me bringing Cass here,” she adds with another side-shuffling move and shoulder dip. “I dunno if I should have left her there in the sapphic corner.”

“You left her in the queer corner?!”

Damn, it has so many names. “Yes?! Was I bad? Is this bad?!”

“--think that’s bad.”

“--Fuck. Do you think you should have left Cull--”

“Fuck no, I’m an--” 

“We’re idiots. What are we--”

“--doing?!”

The final chorus hits, and the crowd gets even more hyped. They join in with the howling and yelling, but it’s mostly out of the need to scream into the void. Then, as is tradition during some point in these parties, someone grabs Olivia from behind and launches her up. Holding her like some statue of liberty, she would usually bring them home with her particular enthusiastic lip-syncing while Ellinor finds the nearest flat surface to hop on. But, as Olivia mouths along with a face of dread and eyes locked on her best friend who looks equally anxious, no one -- not even the Goddess Stevie -- can save this detour. 

[theolddarkmachine]

Sheith prompt: Acxa, Ezor and Zethrid are constantly setting up situations where Keith is constantly 'falling' for Shiro, trying to help their helpless group leader. They think it's the perfect time for him to get his mate (Galran term), especially since Shiro started helping the Blades after his divorce.

New Year’s Prompts: Matchmakers

You should know that I screamed at like, everyone, when I got this prompt. I am very much a fan of the idea of Keith’s badass lesbian squad tryna help a poor boy out and kinda wish this wasn’t just a drabble well as much of a drabble as i could make it since it still is over my max lol so I could explore just a wee bit more of their dynamic. Hopefully it still hits the key points though!

Also on AO3

***********************

“I can’t decide who is more tragic,” Ezor muses, flipping her head over the back of the couch’s arm to stare back at Acxa as Zethrid massaged at her calves in her lep.

“Flippy hair, or the admiral.”

Shaking her head as Zethrid snorts, Acxa took a sip of the strange, brown bean water that Veronica had taught her to make. It’s still too hot and she blanches at its burning bitterness before she replies.

“I fear at this point it’s all they know,” she says as she walks around the counter of the break room and toward the armchair beside the other Galra. Dropping into it, she sighed, relishing the way the cushion cradled her.

There hadn’t necessarily been anything wrong with the Galra ship they’d been using at the start of their humanitarian work, but there really wasn’t anything quite like the comforts the Atlas provided.

“There’s got to be something we can do to get them together,” Ezor continues, not bothering to look at her now as she spoke out into the open room. “They’ve been like this since we were with Lotor.”

A heaviness rolls across the room in the form of their pause as Acxa chances another sip of coffee. Deca-phoebs had past, and their former leader’s name still hung like a weight around their throats. It hadn’t been until much later that they’d realized he was a misguided soul with all the right ideals, and all the wrong way of executing them.

Sometimes, Acxa wondered if all that they were still doing was some small way of realizing the dream that was once Lotor’s goal.

“Maybe we should just shut them in a room until they figure it out,” Zethrid offers suddenly, snapping the silence like a Fate’s string.

“They’d probably starve before they did,” Ezor says offhandedly after a breath.

“They’d probably fight over who would nobly sacrifice themselves so the other could eat them to survive,” Acxa adds with a thick layering of what Veronica taught her was called sarcasm. It earns her a loud snort from Ezor.

“By the gods, they would.”

Her words faded once more to silence filled with nothing more than the quiet hum of the air system. It’s a comfortable kind of silence, only found after years of familiarity. Acxa appreciates it as she looks over the picture of domesticity her friends cut as Zethrid continues to knead at Ezor’s legs.

At one point, she hadn’t thought they’d get to this point. Lost to their own individual anger and loyalties, they’d had to fight hard, but they made it all the same.

Brought together by Lotor, their own need to survive, and then their own redemption, it was funny to think that now what they’d set their mind to was getting Keith and Shiro figure it out. Shiro’s marriage had only lasted about three deca-phoebs, a far cry from the lifetime that humans claimed. He’d joined their forces at the helm of the Atlas claiming it could only help the humanitarian effort to have Earth’s force at their side.

But they’d seen the way his gaze would turn soft whenever speaking with Keith in the same way it always had, so they knew better.

Keith’s own unwavering attachment to Shiro had always been something of an inevitability. Even when he wasn’t there, it made itself known in the spaces between the lovers he’d taken. While Keith had always loved fiercely, he still hadn’t loved quite like he did with Shiro.

Yet there had been something missing when they’d finally come back together, and watching the way they continued to dance around each other like crashing stars was painful.

“We should still try it,” Ezor pipes up. Tightening her grip on her still steaming cup, Acxa took another careful sip before nodding.

“It couldn’t hurt to try.”

***

“And you’re sure you told him to come to the training deck, right?” Ezor asks, peeking over the window’s ledge of the observation room to look down at the admiral who seems to be growing more antsy by the minute. Acxa isn’t quite sure what line they must have used to get him there, but she knows for a fact that Keith had agreed to meet her at the training deck.

“Yes,” she confirms again as she pushes herself into the space between Ezor and Zethrid in time to watch Shiro look down at his watch.

Again.

“Maybe he got the day wrong,” Zethrid growls as the man below lets out what looks like the world’s wariest sigh.

“It’s hard to get today mixed up with any other day,” Acxa growls back, watching as Shiro starts to stretch his human arm, pressing the elbow back behind his head with the metallic one.

“Maybe he’s onto us,” Ezor says under her breath, almost as if it’s an after thought and that, seems entirely plausible, Acxa thinks. This wasn’t the first time they’d tried to get them alone to finally talk.

Or the second.

Or the tenth.

How many times was this now?

“He’s here!” Ezor squeaks excitedly, bouncing on her haunches as Acxa surfaces from her thoughts to see the dark, lithe shape that is Keith. Dressed in his usual form fitting black with his braid falling casually over his shoulder, he cuts a commanding figure, and Acxa can see the way Shiro stalls when he sees him from here.

“Looks like we’re finally a go, girls,” Zethrid say proudly, reaching a hand over the top of her head to meet Ezor’s with a loud clap.

“Don’t celebrate just yet,” Acxa says lowly as she watches the way Keith’s shoulders go rigid and how he crosses his arms across his chest. With his back to them, there’s no way to tell who speaks first, but she sees the way Shiro’s cheeks pink and how his mouth moves around what she can only assume is a greeting.

Holding her breath, she leans closer to the ledge to watch the standoff.

Then, quick as lightning, Shiro is on his back.

“Ouch,” Zethrid blows between her teeth, cutting her gaze away to look over at her companions. “Maybe we were wrong?”

Below, Keith moves, throwing legs on either side of Shiro’s hips and gripping the front of his sleeveless top to pull him close. There seems to be another pause as he stares down at him before Shiro shifts, knocking him to the side and reversing their positions easily.

Keith, to his credit, throws a fist up into his jaw.

“Should we stop them?” Ezor questions as Shiro spits a line of red on the mats beside them. Using his Altean arm, he gathers Keith’s wrists in his grip and wrenches his arms over his head as he leans in close.

Another pause as he speaks, and then Keith twists his hips and kicks his leg at an impossible angle to flip them in a way that leaves his knee pressed to Shiro’s sternum and his hands still cuffed by that robotic arm beside his head.

Acxa can’t help but mimic the surprised sound that forces the admiral’s mouth into a comedic ‘o’ as loosens his grip on Keith’s wrists and instead lets his arms fall to the side in what looks a lot like surrender.

“No, not yet,” she replies as Shiro says something, tilting his chin up and keeping his eyes fixed on the man above him. Keith’s breaths heave his shoulders as he keeps his head turned down, hair falling out of his braid and shielding his face.

Achingly slow, she watched as he sat back, dragging his hands from the floor to Shiro’s chest and dropping his knee down beside him.

The admiral’s mouth moves again, and for all she knows, it must be a spell as she watches Keith draw closer, leaning into him until his hair curtains them both.

With whiplike speed, Acxa grabs at Ezor and Zethrid’s shoulders, pulling them down beneath the ledge as Shiro’s arms came up to wrap around Keith’s waist.

Zethrid’s look is accusatory as Ezor makes a small sound of protest at the back of her throat. By way of answer, Acxa just nods her head back to the door.

“It was just getting to the good part,” Ezor mumbles as they push away, turning from the private scene to head to the door.

“Humans are so weird,” Zethrid muses thoughtfully as it swooshes open before them.

They are, Acxa thinks, a small smiler flicking the edges of her mouth up as her mind roves to her own human. She also thinks, for just a moment, that that’s what made humanity so beautiful.

“Come on, girls,” she hums, throwing her arms across both their shoulders and pulling them close as they exited into the empty hall. “Our work here is done.”

****

[beneath-the-rubble1]

I need a detailed 1000000 word plot line of Tanya’s lesbian pilot extravaganza help a girl out.

Yikes you asked for it. Below the cut for those of you not interested in one girls rambling tale of two ladies in love. The story of Tanya and Kit Marlo is as follows.

Kalokairi. May 1982. 

Tanya and Rosie come back to the island to visit Donna and the baby. The girls meet Nikos Pallis, a 30-year-old Grecian man who has lived on ‘the mainland’ for nearly all his life. He did take a few years to study for New York but has recently come back to his homeland, taking a break from looking for talent to sign to look after his elderly father. His father passed away 5 years ago and he’s been stuck in a rut ever since. He tells them he can make the Dynamos stars cue; Nina Pretty Ballerina. Meanwhile, Donna is freaking out about raising a child, cue Hey Hey Helen. 

Kalokairi. June, 1982

Tanya has started seeing a young man from the main island, Antoni. Antoni is a very dashing young man. A bit of a player with a good smile he grows to hate our new visitor. Meanwhile, Kit Marlo makes an emergency landing on the island. Kit Marlo is a 24-year-old pilot. She has four younger sisters and her father was in the British Royal Airforce. He is the one who taught her to fly as he had no sons to pass the talent along to. She was forced to leave home a few years ago and has been flying on private hire and pleasure. She was on route to France for a refuel on her way home from India when a sudden storm caused her to make a landing on Kalakari. 

Kit’s plane needs fuel and repairs so she offers to fix up some things around the house in return for staying a few days, to which Donna agrees. Tanya and Rosie take lemonade to the “very dashing someone with a plane in our backyard” and get introduce. Donna and Rosie tell Kit a little bit about Tanya cue Head Over Heels. Tanya meanwhile decides it might be time to let go of Antoni cue Does Your Mother Know??? maybe?

Kalokairi. July, 1982 

Once the storm clears Kit goes to the mainland to get gas and some supplies and gets attacked. Kit returns to the farmhouse and Donna patches her up while they talk about the differences between the paradise of Kalakari and the rest of the world.  Cue He Is Your Brother snippet. Since Kit’s hand is broken she can’t repair her plane. Tanya sees Kit all beaten up and is shocked to find she might think of the woman in a different way. While we see the Dynamos rehearsing with Nikos, scenes of Kit playing with Sophie are intercut. Soon the girls ask Kit to stay as long as she wants. Cue She’s My Kinda Girl. 

Kalokairi. August-September 1982

Kit and Tanya grow closer. As the Dynamos play bigger and bigger places Tanya and Kit grow closer and closer but still shy away from anything really happening. Tanya and Rosie run into Bill on the mainland and while Rosie tries her hardest not to fall over herself, Tanya tries to keep him from going to Kalokari because Donna wants to keep Sophie to herself. Then Kit and Tanya come to a bit of a standoff. Cue That’s Me 

Kalokairi. September, 1982

Scared of her feelings for Tanya, with the Dynamos getting more famous, the world still cruel to her, her plane and hand repaired, Kit leaves. “You’re bigger than this island” cue Dance (while the music still goes on) and a lot of crying. They share one last song and one last dance and then Kit leaves. 

Kalokairi. February 1983

The Dynamos get a touring deal and bring Sophie and the greek band on tour with them for a few months. Cue Dancing Queen and the walk down to the dock and send off 

Italy, March, 1983. 

Harry has heard about the Dynamos touring. He’s on a bank deal in Italy and decides to come to see them. The girls spot him and send Nikos out to distract him. They end up accidentally going on a date. Cue Another Town another train

Harry leaves early in the morning. We get our huge number with all the long lost loves of the franchise. If It Wasn’t For The Nights

Glasgow. May, 1983.

After several months on tour, Tanya is seeing a man named Robert Leigh. He’s a dashing 25-year-old Scottish doctor with a big family inheritance. He’s got a motorcycle and sparking eyes. He will one day be her first husband. Donna sends a letter to Kit who replies with her number. Donna and Rosie sit Tanya down and convince her to call Kit. Cue Super Trouper. Kit flies to Glasgow and after the Dynamos performance she goes backstage and Tanya kisses her. They’re back in bliss and after the tour go back to Kalakari. 

Kalokairi June, 1983 

Robert Leigh shows up on the island and Kit is stunned. She leaves Tanya saying she obviously can't give the woman what Robert can and that she doesn’t want Tanya to have to live in hiding. Cue Lovelight and even more tears. 

TIME JUMP

Kalokairi. June, 1999 

Kit, who has been living in and around Greece visits the island every once in a while. She heard that Sophie was getting married and came around. Kit sees Tanya dancing with Pepper on the beach and thought she could handle it, but she can't and she leaves. 

TIME JUMP

Kalokairi. June 2011? 2006? After MM2

Donny Sheridan is 2 years old and Kit Marlo has finally gotten up the courage to come to visit Sophie and her son. The family spends half the year in Greece and half in NYC. Meanwhile, Tanya and Rosie have retired in Greece. Rosie and Bill live on the mainland. Sophie and Skye and Donny live in the main house. Sam still lives in his stone shack. Tanya and Harry both have villas on the island. 

Kit comes to Kalokairi and knocks on the farmhouse door like she did all those years ago. She starts to introduce herself to Sophie when Sophie says she remembers her. Tanya comes down from her villa to see Sophie for the day and sees the yellow plane in the backyard. Rosie and Bill who’ve just arrived try to force her to confront Kit but she escapes and walks along the beach with Harry. Sophie asks Kit why she left. Kit tells her the story of Tanya and her and sighs that she lost the love of her life long ago. Laments that even if Tanya remembers her there’s no chance. Rosie drags Tanya up to the main house and Kit and Tanya sees each other for the first time in too many years. Tanya is immediately scared and angry and Kit and she get in a big argument about why Kit left. Ends with Tanya fleeing. Is inside the song Mamma Mia. 

Sophie sets up a big party for Donny's second birthday and when Kit lands the plane and bounces Donny in the air while Sam, Skye, and Sophie look on she runs over to her and kisses her. Nikos shows up on the island, it's been 25 years since the Dynamos were signed by him and he decided to come back to the island. Rosie, Bill, and Sam talk to Tanya while Sophie and Harry talk to Kit while they look after Donny. Tanya admits that she's been running ever since Kit left and Kit admits that she wanted Tanya to have a better life but she might have deprived her of just that. “Sophie: Just look at what happened to my mom and Sam. They wasted all that time and then... and then she was gone. If she was here she'd smack you upside the head and tell you to never make that mistake.” 

And ghost Meryl leads us out with As Good As New 

Meryl: I’ll never know why I had to go / Why i had to put up such a lousy rotten show

Kit: Boy, I was tough packing all my stuff/ saying i don’t need you anymore, I’ve had enough / and now look at me standing here again/ ‘cause i found out that mamamamama ma my life is here. 

[lucky-clover-gazette]

season 4 first watch impressions

under the cut are my thoughts and my new overall series episode ranking (spoilers)

ep1 - uss callister

- by far my favorite of the season

- a perfect blend of comedy and tragedy 

- i would have loved this as a full movie

- honestly nanette is amazing, like she owns her smarts and sexuality and never gives up i love her

- male coder: “it won’t work, i’ve already tried”

nanette: “well i haven’t” HELL YEAH

- i honestly loved all the ‘crew’ characters, even the gym rat boss

- i especially enjoyed the speech from the boss to robert, where he’s like ‘i acknowledge that i was an ass, but dude, YOU PUSHED MY SON OUT AN AIRLOCK’

- also the fuckin casual dialogue between the monster and bad guy and the crew

- OHHH BOY AND THE FACT THAT ROBERT’S GONNA ROT TO DEATH IN HIS APARTMENT BECAUSE HE PUT ‘DO NOT DISTURB’ ON HIS APARTMENT DOOR, HELL YEAH

- ‘oh my fuck’ 

- 10/10, watch it now

ep2 - arkangel

- preface: the kid playing young owen teague and his family were actually really close with my family when he and my little sister were kids. it was goddamn surreal to see that lil guy talking about porn when i remember him being, like, eight. but nice going nick, keep kicking ass lil dude

- okay so this episode was... conflicting 

- the opener made sense, but in some ways i thought it was TOO obvious and indicative of the episode’s message and tone. i can’t help but wonder if it would have been better just starting like five minutes in

- her father looked like counselor healy from orange is the new black, so that was distracting

- okay jesus christ lady, i get that losing your kid is scary, but implanting her with ‘optional’ optic spying and censoring software is such a massive violation of her privacy. like, it’s one thing when she’s tiny, but how the hell are you going to feel okay with yourself as a parent when she’s an adolescent? 

- the blocking especially pissed me off. that’s so fucking dangerous. either this woman is just very stupid, or very desperate

- at least the narrative established that it kind of was the latter. when her father gets sick, the mother has to care both for both her father and her child. that’s a lot. but still not an excuse for such mental violation of a quickly-growing human being

- young edgelord and sara are fucking adorable

- sara’s self-harm and rage issues are not, however,, and i’m glad that her mother took her head out of her ass and ditched the tablet

- is it just me or is fifteen-year-old sara kind of an idiot? like i get it she’s grunge and artsy, and i loved her giving a treat to the dog, but she seems to be almost hanging out with owen teague because he deals, and not despite it. like i get that i’m supposed to buy that their romance has kind of a subtext of him ‘teaching’ her about things, but like the underage sex and coke are kinda yikes. i feel like he definitely should have had more restraint, and although what the mother does is royally fucked, he and sara are also both to blame

- all right, so the smoothie motif. what a great narrative tool. the miscarriage pill was the most clever part of the episode. sara’s reaction was very well-acted, and the standoff between her and her mother was intense as hell

- i liked that sara’s rage issues remained into adolescence. i was glad that the tablet got wreckt, but i can’t help but wonder if it would have been more effective to have her rage-smash it prior to her mother coming come, leaving the pieces for her to find. the actual beating up of the mother with the tablet seemed to literal, too much sinking in the message. there were moments in crocodile and hang the dj that were the same way. 

- the ending, with sara hitchhiking in some stranger’s truck, was very smart. the ambiguity of a young girl, on her own, hopping in some stranger’s vehicle, is powerful without much explanation. any parent would be horrified by this; that’s what i don’t think we actually needed to see the mother screaming sara’s name and bleeding to understand the horror of losing a child to the unknown

- this one definitely gives me the most complicated feelings of the season; on one hand, it had a lot of great devices going for it. on the other hand, it was over-written and at times trying too hard to be ‘black mirror.’ the grey morality and ambiguous ending reminded me of a literary short story, which i love in my TV.

- 7/10, watch it if you liked most black mirror episodes that weren’t san junipero

ep3 - crocodile

- ah yes, the ‘i watch black mirror to be fuckin ashamed of humanity’ episode

- idk man, i liked it. it was bleak, and fucked up, but i’m all about that downward spiral. i liked that the story kind of began in three different places and then tied together. just as i had with ‘hated in the nation,’ i love police procedural stuff

- also damn, it was freaky as hell to see the straight-laced white blonde soccer-mom type being a despicable murdering sociopath!!! like, gotta go kill an entire family of POC, including a goddamn INFANT, and then see my kid’s show, that’s great. i was so happy when she got what she deserved. 

- all right, so i had one MAJOR PROBLEM with this episode: why the fuck did they make the son blind? the guinea pig twist was so GOOD, and mia fuckin killed a BABY, they didn’t need to further modify that!!! this is another example of black mirror doing just a tad more than it needs to make the audience feel horrible. 

- okay black mirror, we get it, that song is your thing, but can you maybe slide it in as a less glaring easter egg? 

- 8/10, but only if you’re into dark shit and bad endings

ep4 - hang the dj

- not nearly gay enough

- seriously, the entire episode i was unable to focus on the main characters because i kept looking around this Tinder-esque 20′s dating paradise and saw ZERO GAY OR LESBIAN COUPLES. i’m so surprised by this, especially after ‘san junipero.’ at first i was like, maybe this is like society’s way of encouraging procreation because of population decline, but that wasn’t the twist at all. no reason for nearly everyone to be hetero

- THAT BEING SAID, i see you. bi amy. even before the girl partner, i was aware that she used ‘they/them’ pronouns when referring to hypothetical partners. i just wish we could have seen more gay couples in the background (for example, at the choosing ceremony thing, it coulda been two dudes of something)

- uh okay, so everyone loved this episode, and it was okay. some of the banter and jokes were funny and relatable, but honestly, this wasn’t *that* good. the plot wasn’t super original (reminded me a lot of ep1 of hulu’s ‘dimension 404′) and the execution was kind of suuuuuuper basic. like, black suited Enforcers with tasers? a massive matrix wall? the whole thing seemed so predictable and just... basic as hell. 

- but shit man, amy was cool. loved that character in a vacuum. 

- honestly if someone could explain the reasons for loving this episode, i’d like to hear them. because i just don’t get it, man. maybe it’s because i’m gay, or young, or single, or unexperienced... but i just wasn’t very impressed

- 6/10, not even fuckin close to ‘san junipero’ lmao 

ep5 - metalhead

- black and white seemed sort of pretentious, not gonna lie. i think i would have preferred the dirty palette of ‘white bear’ post-apocalypse

- i am all for these female protagonists this season. hell yeah

- soo those corpses in the bed were heavy, but i actually kind of wish we got to see more of that? like, the remains of humanity after the dogs attacked? also, more small explanations for the dogs’ attack would have been interesting

- loved the chase and fight scenes. i can see how they’d be boring, but the moments of conflict between man v. machine were fucking awesome

- K N I F E  D O G

- anyone else get serious farenheit 451 vibes?

- the teddy bear thing was dumb. i don’t think we needed to see what was inside the warehouse. yet another time black mirror threw in just a little more than we needed

- okay so belle keeps alluding to the fact that she has safe family members out there somewhere, so am i to believe that there is some place where humans are safe from dogs? if so, why the actual fuck did she leave? i can’t believe it was just because of fuckin teddy bears

- alllllll the david lynch vibes

- 7/10, but you gotta actually pay attention to the visual details to get the best parts

ep6 - black museum

- BOOOOYYYYYYY! this entire episode i waited for the fuckin shoe to drop and then SHE! DID! THAT!

- the amount of callbacks to previous episodes was,, nice,, but also it was kind of annoying??? and unnecessary? 

- the museum owner was reaaaaaalllly annoying, which is think was intentional. what a fuckin sleaze. in comparison, i thought that jon hamm in ‘white christmas’ was still a somewhat charismatic narrator, but this dude was just yikes

- so, the first story was... kind of a lazy reach? idk, it just felt kinda like a parody of black mirror itself. i get the entire ‘mad science’ vibe they were trying to evoke, but as opposed to the next story, this one had very little to say about human nature. black mirror works its best when it tells stories that use technology as a way to analyze humanity; this one really didn’t (we all already know we’ve got weird kinks)

- the second story was better, but, like, SUPER heartbreaking. poor carrie. i don’t think her husband should have done The Thing at all, honestly, I don’t believe that he couldn’t have seen what happened next coming. it’s like the arkangel mom again; either these characters are just SUPER present-oriented, or just fuckin dumb

- the most tragic moment in this season was ‘monkey needs a hug.’ i felt nauseous 

- okay, now for THE TWIST! the accent drop was a great touch, and i loved that she was poisoning him the entire time. also fuck white men and supremacists, and fuck the museum dude for enabling them. 

- the ending was great. i liked that her mom was chillin with her. the building blowing up was very tarantino. loved her a lot

- 8.5/10, boring in the beginning but the end is worth it 

and now.. 

BLACK MIRROR EPISODES RANKED (AS OF SEASON 4)

1. U.S.S. Callister

2. Nosedive

3. Hated in the Nation

4. San Junipero

5. Fifteen Million Merits

6. Be Right Back

7. White Bear

8. White Christmas

9. Black Museum

10. Crocodile

11. Arkangel

12. Metalhead

13. Hang the DJ

14. Playtest

15. The Entire History of You

16. Men Against Fire

17. Shut Up and Dance

18. The National Anthem

19. The Waldo Moment

[thenukacolachallenge]

OC Breakdown: Cash Black

Which Fallout game are they from? Fallout: New Vegas Which faction(s) did they join and which did they destroy? Why? Destroyed the Legion because fuck them, destroyed the Fiends and all the raiders because FUCK THEM(she let the Khans live bc she’s a big buyer of their drugs, but does send them upstate), killed House because he pissed her off and after seeing the state of Freeside she didn’t want him in charge. Let the NCR live but kicked them out of the Mojave. other than that, she tries to leave everyone alive, believing heavily in “live and let live”. she also gives control of Vegas to those who live in the area, instead of leading it herself. What is their S.P.E.C.I.A.L.? COMING SOON IDR. her Luck is 10 tho. i do know that much. Give us a summary of their backstory. Grew up in rural Nevada in a log cabin on a homestead with her folks. they died when the house caught on fire but she survived because she was out being a little shit or something. she wandered around for a while, a starving scared kid, until a caravaneer found her half-dead and took pity on her, basically becoming her new parent. She became a skilled shot and well-known caravan guard, continuing after her Pop’s death, and went on to travel with the caravans in the mojave. she never lost a caravan until a tussle with the Scorpions, and she ends up agreeing to join them so they won’t kill her, after a long standoff that proved her proficiency at combat. she hated the raider lifestyle, though, and got caught up in drugs to cope, particularly Jet and Med-X. she ended up getting in an argument with the gang leader over killing innocent people, and getting sky-high and shooting the entire gang up, freeing herself from their service(and leaving the Scorpions in the tiny state they’re in during the events of the game). she decided to not go back into caravan guarding(until the events of Honest Hearts), being too afraid to lose another crew, instead turning to courier work so she could still travel. along the way, she saves up every cap she can, in order to pay those back that she stole from during her time in the Scorpions. she’s tough as a former caravan guard, and crazy as an ex-raider. ends up being the begrudging Solver of Problems in the Mojave and has adventures with her ragtag group of merry assholes she collects along the way. What’s their full name and does it have a meaning? Do they have any nicknames and how did they get em? Cash Black, no middle name. a purely Vegas name, through and through, but she’s never been until after Benny shoots her. she was nicknamed Fritz in her raider group. there are still wanted posters of Fritz around NCR ranger stations, but she looks much different from how she looked then(her mohawk isn’t dyed anymore, and she’s not as emaciated and gaunt, plus Cash always wears a hat, bandana, and sunglasses now). What’s their sexual, romantic, and gender orientation? Do they feel comfortable telling other people? nonbinary(although she has no clue what that even is) and lesbian. has been attracted to SOME men, but... yeah. women. she has very little love life outside of one-night trysts, so it doesn’t come up often, but she has no problems mentioning it if it comes up. Do they have any mental illnesses? How do they cope? she’s got a ton of trauma from her childhood, raider days, and being shot in the head and buried alive. she mostly copes through chems. she smokes, she drinks(anything but has an affinity for whiskey), and she takes Jet and Med-x. she also tries to keep a stash of Fixer on hand. she finds the chems too beneficial to fully give them up, at least until she settles down,, and the Fixer helps mitigate that. Do they have any medical conditions? Is medicine/ treatment available for them? addiction as mentioned above, uses Fixer to cope but always goes back. slight disorientation and blurry vision from bullet to head(she loses some depth perception), and most likely some brain damage of some sort. How much do they care about their outer appearance? What’s their “beauty routine”? How often do they shower/ bathe? would shave her hair completely if she didn’t at least care a little but as it stands she rocks the Unladylike hairstyle. went for days on the caravan routes without proper bathing so she’s not super into hygiene. she cares a bit more after becoming a bit more well-known on the strip, but not much. They’re biggest flaw? Do they recognize it as a flaw? she’s a drug-addled thrill seeker who will kill someone for disagreeing with her over a small issue if it pisses her off enough(although she does try really hard not to unless they’re just a bastard). she also can’t let go of the guilt of being a raider, and feels like helping anyone who asks her is helping to atone, even if she has no desire to actually help them(though she will hassle them for a reward). she does recognize all of it as flaws, but letting go is too hard for her. What are they most insecure about? her past as a raider. she doesn’t talk about it much except to those who she trusts. she hates that she hurt so many innocent people for so long and it gets to her sometimes. What Wasteland threat do they fear the most? (ex. Deathclaws, super mutants, raiders) deathclaws, centaurs, and cazadores until she goes to the big empty(becoming a cyborg who’s immune to poison will do that to you). is not scared of any human at all until she meets lanius and ulysses(and joshua graham once he goes into his little bloodrage, though she’s angrier at him than she is scared). is scared shitless of the thought of what the tunnelers can do. What’s their zodiac sign or which one do you think they relate to the most? What are their placements (if you know them)? (ex. Aries sun, Taurus moon, Aquarius Venus) i don’t have placements and she doesn’t remember her birthday, but she’s a taurus. stubborn as all hell, doesn’t take no for an answer, workhorse, loves food? she’s a fuckin taurus lamo What natural alignment are they? (ex. Lawful Good, Chaotic Evil) swings between Chaotic Good and Chaotic Neutral depending on her mood. Do they have any hobbies? What are they? traveling, killing every raider and Legionaire she sees, killing anyone who hurts someone, blackjack(she fucking hates caravan), playing harmonica, getting high. spending time with her found family. Do they have a favorite holiday? How do they celebrate it? doesn’t care about holidays at all. every day you’re above ground is a holiday to her. have a shot and keep it moving. What’s their favorite season? there’s only one season in the mojave: FUCKING HOT. had never seen rain until she goes to zion, it scares the shit out of her. Do they have a temper or are they level headed? has a hair-trigger temper. can keep it in check for the most part(if she’s sober), but if something happens that violates one of her deeply held principles(don’t try to kill her, don’t hurt innocents), she will come for your head. Do they express their emotions freely or hide their true feelings? she hides her feelings behind a wall of snark and clown-like doofus behavior. most of her companions learn to see through it fairly easily. Are they a leader or a follower? she doesn’t like to see herself as responsible to lead anything but herself, but she definitely isn’t a follower either. she can pretend to follow someone if it benefits her(using her old raider gang to survive and for drugs, pretending to follow the NCR and House for a time to throw them off her trail of a truly independent vegas), but usually not for very long. How do they come off to others? What first impression do they usually make? depends on who she meets. to people who need help, she’s usually a bit gruff and very down-to-business. around the fire, she’s jolly, drunk, and a little stupid. around people she dislikes, she’s pants-shittingly terrifying if she wants to be. she has the Terrifying Presence perk, and will use it to her advantage if needed. Do they prefer to travel alone or with company? Who have they traveled with if any? Current companion if any? never travels without ED-E except to help Rex, or during the DLC shit. in my own canon, she travels with all the companions in a group, similar to how she used to help with caravans back in her early days. in canon, she mostly travels with Arcade, Raul, Veronica, and Cass. She likes Lily but she thinks she does best when she’s at Jacobstown with the rest of the Nightkin and Super Mutants, and Boone and her only barely get along with their love for guns and killing Legionaries. Would you describe them as selfless or selfish? Does it depend on the situation? definitely depends. she tries to help people to atone for her past but she comes across as greedy and self-centered at times for coveting large amounts of caps(though most of the reason she wants those caps is to pay back the things she stole during her time as a raider). What do they find most attractive in others? Name at least one psychological and physical trait. (doesn’t have to be romantic attraction) she loves people who can match her snark, and who don’t get too terribly annoyed by her dumber behavior. she loves women that are either shorter than her, or stronger than her. or both. Do they flirt often? How easily do they fall in love? she’s only really flirty when she’s had too much to drink. it’s extremely hard for her to let her guard down otherwise, until she meets Christine. What’s their love life like? Are they interested in anyone or in a relationship? she tends to do one-night stands over actual relationships, until she meets Christine Royce. my AU has her reuniting with God/Dog after the end of the game, and having him help her get back to the Sierra Madre so she can fully convince Christine to finally give up her crusade to watch over the casino. Do they prefer to solve things diplomatically or using violence? depends on the situation and what the outcome will be, isn’t afraid to kill people to get her way though. she will always try to solve things diplomatically to save money on bullets, but if that doesn’t work? next step is to threaten. Cash does not bluff on her threats. What is their combat style? What range do they prefer? Do they sneak? is a killer shot, also had to learn how to use melee weapons for when guns aren’t quick enough or quiet enough. hates energy weapons and sneaking. What weapon(s) do they always carry with them? names all her weapons and keeps them in the best shape she can, since they’re the difference between life and death out on the roads. she has a caravan shotgun named Jolene, a grenade rifle named Valerie, a cowboy repeater named Dolly and a machete named Betty. She keeps Maria as well. She likes to collect unique guns, and eventually her all time favorite becomes Lucky, since it goes great with her insanely high luck. Their most prized possession? the harmonica her mom taught her how to play, the only thing she had left after the fire, and the ledger that shows what she still owes the red bandits’ victims. she also ends up bringing a guitar back from the Sierra Madre, and has the Lonesome Drifter teach her how to play in return for getting him a job at the Tops. Their thoughts on power armor? too restricting and too loud. feels like being in a tin can. would rather risk getting riddled with bullets. Favorite armor/ outfit? she loves leather armor because it makes her feel like a badass. wears the Dapper gambler suit while on the strip or meeting with someone important. finds the dress to be incredibly uncomfortable, but the yellow color looks great on her tanned skin. (except caesar, she came in full armor and chainsaw’d him and the rest of the Fort) How’s their aim? Do their hands shake while pointing a gun?  killer with guns. been shooting almost all her life, but didn’t learn how to be great until the caravans. loses some of her perception bc of Benny shooting her in the head, but ends up getting an implant from Usanagi to fix it. What are their thoughts on having to kill on a daily bases in order to survive? Does it take a toll on them? Or do they shake it off rather easily? refuses to kill an innocent, but otherwise doesn’t care. sometimes when she’s having a really bad day wrt her past, her addictions etc. she’ll take a bounty for a raider gang or leader, get fucked up, and go ham. Thoughts on death if any? (ex. Fear it, accept it) isn’t scared, thinks she’s been on borrowed time for a long ass time anyways. just doesn’t want to die before she repays her debts and makes vegas free. Do they move around a lot or prefer to have a place to call home? would wander the mojave forever if she could. if anything, she wants to one day retire to Zion. she also takes over the lucky 38 but considers it a base of operations, rather than a home. as it stands, her go-to place always seems to be Novac, another point of contention between her and Boone. What’s their favorite location? the Mojave highways, and Zion. Their opinions on ghouls, feral and not feral? she’s a little wary around ghouls at first, having mostly dealt with feral ones. once she gets to know Raul, she’s a lot more understanding. Do they scavenge for their supplies or simply buy them? she would rather die than spend a cap for anything other than trying to earn more caps. almost everything she’s ever owned has been scavenged, and she aims to keep it that way as long as she can. Are they the type to get distracted and go off to an unknown nearby location or do they stay on track? wanders. will explore and scavenge anywhere she can. it will take her weeks to finish anything for anyone else bc she had to explore five other places she found on the way. How do they sleep? Are they picky about where and how or can they sleep basically anywhere? can sleep pretty much anywhere. is a light sleeper, just due to years of sleeping out in the open. she’s also a sleep kicker and puncher, a loud snorer, and will talk in her sleep too. What’s their favorite radio station and song? (post-apocalypse) only listens to Mojave Music Radio for the most part. will listen to the Mysterious Broadcast in areas where MMR isn’t working. she’s very partial to Big Iron, but her underrated fave is I’m Movin’ Out. What’s their favorite post-apocalyptic food? Are they a picky eater? Do they know how to cook? thinks pre-war foods are fucking gross(learns they’re not so bad after the events of Dead Money. loves a good brahmin steak and wild foraged food but will eat anything if she has to. she’s not too prideful to remember almost starving to death after her parents died. ends up really liking Cook-Cook’s stew recipe(though she hates him and kills him with no hangups or remorse) and begs for Ruby Nash’s casserole every time she runs through Primm. What’s their favorite beverage? Do they drink alcohol? fucking hates nuka-cola, thinks sunset sarsaparilla is much better. loves whiskey, absinthe, and homemade tequila. she also of course always keeps a ton of fresh water on hand, being a long-term traveler. Do they have any tag skills? guns, survival, repair Anything they like to collect? (ex. Unique weapons, Bobbleheads) star caps. not for the prize, though the gun she finds is nice; she just thinks they’re fun. she loves rare curios and guns as well, and can’t resist a nice hat. Are they good at disarming traps or do they constantly miss them? if she’s not wasted, then she’s fairly perceptive.

[mothermaidenclone-blog]

Deadpool 2 or The Script Confiscated From A Year Nine Class

Deadpool 2 was a disappointment in my opinion. The original film took me by surprise with its love story plot and silliness outweighing offensiveness. It also included wonderfully unexpected, off-beat jokes about Judy Blume books and Ikea furniture. Whilst I still had some real chuckles at moments of Deadpool 2, such well written, humorous moments were in the minority. These were replaced by fourth-wall-breaking in-jokes about other Marvel franchises and witticisms acknowledging sexism and racism that were present in the film, without actually addressing the issues or making amends for how problematic they were. All of this, combined with the higher frequency of gore, made it feel like Deadpool 2 was written by a fourteen year old boy and a ropey A.I. that had been fed the first film.

*Deadpool 2 spoilers follow*

Deadpool 2 saw the return of Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), the partner of Wade Wilson aka Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds). Within a couple of lines of dialogue she establishes herself as an understanding person with a razor sharp wit, a cutting sense of humour, a libido and a desire to become a mother. Vanessa is built up as an incredibly three dimensional character in a very short space of time, all whilst displaying a combination of characteristics not usually afforded to women in mainstream cinema. All good so far, what could go wrong? How about she is promptly shot in the head to give Wade something to be sad about for the rest of the film. You did The Bad Thing, Deadpool 2! I feel as though the writers noticed the success of the love story angle of the first film, so they stuck a bunch of movie genres that Deadpool isn’t in a hat, pulled out “family film” and spent the rest of the creative process figuring out how to shoehorn a plot around that. Vanessa and Wade’s honest, raw and genuinely funny relationship was what made the first film so good, murdering Vanessa right at the beginning of the sequel is not the right way to keep that momentum going.

Furthermore, Vanessa isn’t even allowed to rest in peace. She becomes a metaphor for heaven, rather than a character. In her pink, fluffy jumper she becomes inseparable from her hazy, pastel surroundings - what happened to her amazing, grungy, leopard-print fashion? Her individuality is stripped away and she becomes a homogenous ideal of a stylised afterlife. Her acerbic humour is replaced by generic platitudes about how Wade can’t join her because his heart isn’t in the right place, which is nonsensical in itself because in life she loved Wade for all his flaws and foibles. In short, it is tragic to see Vanessa - one of the reasons that Deadpool was so original and funny - killed off almost instantly and then reduced to one of the most ubiquitous and boring tropes imaginable.

Another fabulous female character who makes all too short of a reappearance is Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand). She is a fantastic comedy counterpart to Wade, dry and stoic where he is emotional and silly. The audience is not only treated to some great one liners from her, but also a brief display of her combat prowess and spectacular mutant powers as well as, if you wait until the credits, impressive technical capabilities. Negasonic continues to be a unique and strong addition to the unwieldy X-Men pantheon, my only real criticism is that we didn’t see more of her.

Negasonic’s personality is developed somewhat in Deadpool 2 by the introduction of her girlfriend, Yukio (Shioli Kutsana). Whilst it is always amazing to portray a lesbian relationship as the norm and not murder one of them (everyone needs to do this more please) it did feel a little like box ticking in this film. This is mostly because we don’t get to know Yukio at all. Once again, we see a small demonstration of her exemplary martial skills and supernatural abilities, but we don’t really see any personality. Basically all of her lines are a cutsie, cheery, “hi Wade” or “bye Wade.” On the one hand, this is a good comic balance to Negasonic’s broody attitude, but on the other hand, it does feel like a stereotype of a “kawaii” Japanese girl. If she had literally any other characteristics this might be excusable, but as it is, she remains a two dimensional character. On top of all this, she goes by what I presume is her Japanese given name, rather than a pseudonym like the vast majority of the other X-Men, hammering home the uncomfortable and somewhat fetishistic, Orientalist aura surrounding Yukio. I can’t wait for all the fan art of Yukio and Negasonic because it will undoubtedly be deeper and have more narrative than Deadpool 2 awarded the pair.

One final, returning female character reappears in Deadpool 2. Al (Leslie Uggams) returns as Wade’s elderly, black, blind flatmate, which in itself is positive to simply have someone so far from the white, young, able-bodied Hollywood norm included in a superhero blockbuster. Once again, Al has some excellently funny one liners, but these seem to be overshadowed by gags about her blindness, which places her more as the butt of the joke than the creator of the comedy. Furthermore, she only appears in one, brief scene, so I feel that Al was wasted somewhat on Deadpool 2.

Deadpool 2 did introduce a new, black, female superhero, Domino (Zazie Beetz). She has the unique superpower of being lucky, things just seem to work out for her. In addition to this power she is shown to be funny, brave and compassionate, as well as a skilled fighter. Most notably, in the final standoff which is comprised mostly of men battling each other, she goes to save the children from becoming collateral damage in the crossfire. Despite Wade calling out the sexism inherent in the X-Men and proclaiming that the X-Force will be “forward thinking, gender neutral,” Domino is the only woman in the original line up, being outnumbered 7:1 if we include Weasel (T.J. Miller) in the calculation. She is, however, the sole survivor of these new recruits, and undoubtedly steals the show in the ensuing action sequence. The second X-Force family is somewhat more balanced, but men still outnumber women 5:3.

Overall, the women in Deadpool 2 are mostly strong, capable and hilarious. However, the vast majority of them have very little screen time, sometimes due to their untimely and unjust murders, and the racial stereotyping cannot be ignored. All the elements for a great story are here, they’re just lost in the quagmire of self-referential almost-jokes. I’d like to see the version of this film conceived by queer fan artists, and not the rude, crude scribblings of teenage boys in the backs of their homework diaries that this film was.

And now for some asides:

Domino’s fashion was amazing, I want all of her jackets.

“Hands off that kid, John Connor” doesn’t make any sense as a reference! If you insist on all of your humour being referential, at least put in the nerd hours to get it right.

You know an ending is dragging on too much when you abandon it in favour of not missing the post-credits scene, because your broken body can’t make it through both without a toilet break.

[ramajmedia]

Vanderpump Rules: Is Lance Bass to Blame for Cast Feud?

Questions are being asked regarding the possibility of Lance Bass being to blame for the Vanderpump Rules cast feud. The real fighting shown towards the end of the season took a toll on the entire cast, causing multiple rifts.

Bass, is best known for being a part of the Grammy award-winning boy band, *NSYNC. In 2006, Bass opened up to Britney Spears on her wedding night about his sexuality, later coming out as gay. Bass had been an intricate part of fundraising for the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network in an attempt to bring awareness to the LGBTQ community. When the band broke up, Bass turned to appearing on reality TV to fill his time. He has pulled away from his boy band image, really excelling into his TV personality, especially with the help of his friend, Lisa Vanderpump.

Related: Vanderpump Rules' Billie Lee Has Serious Baby Fever

The high drama on the Bravo show started when Jax Taylor decided to unfollow most of his costars on Vanderpump Rules, and it caught the attention of die-hard fans. During Taylor’s purge of social media, he let go of Kristen Doute, Ariana Madix, and Tom Sandoval on Instagram. The unfriending happened right after season 8 finished filming with a fight over Bass being able to officiate Taylor’s marriage to Brittany Cartwright. Hollywood Life reported that Sandoval had been a very supportive friend to Taylor, especially when the wedding prep was going on. The source explained that the argument had absolutely nothing to do with the famous singer.

This is not the first time Bass had been at the center of Vanderpump Rules drama. Bass’s pop-up appearances always came at a cost, with him stirring the pot. Bass was close with Lisa Vanderpump, who after her mother’s death did not want to be a part of mending her server’s problems, causing Bass to step in on behalf of his dear friend. He had been the perpetrator behind accidentally spilling the gossip about Tom Schwartz and Katie Maloney not being legally married, when he made a quick appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. It is important to note that no one is positive who unfollowed who first on social media in the new feud, but fans can assume that Sandoval was surprised as he is usually the more laid back, letting drama slide off his back.

The nail in the coffin between Taylor and Sandoval was really when Taylor removed Sandoval from his wedding party, causing the original rift in the friendship. There is now a huge standoff between the cast, with Doute being the center of attention. Stassi Schroeder and Katie Schwartz both made the decision to not attended Doute’s event for her t-shirt line, surprising the rest of the cast who were present.

Whether Lance Bass caused the misunderstandings between the cast of Vanderpump Rules is still to be determined; what fans do know is that Bass works best when he has a chance to make waves. The reality show has taken a turn from its roots, when it used to be about friends having a drink with one another to now everyone being involved in a conflict. Fans can only hope that Bravo either makes Bass a permanent cast member or that Bass learns to say “Bye Bye Bye” to the drama.

Next: Vanderpump Rules Star Stassi Schroeder is Engaged to Beau Clark

Source: Hollywood Life

source https://screenrant.com/lance-bass-blame-vanderpump-rules-cast-feud/

[nancy-astorga]

A year after worst mass shooting in American history, people gather to remember Orlando’s Pulse victims

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Scores of people gathered outside the perimeter of the Pulse nightclub Monday to pay their respects while inside the site’s fences, the names of the 49 victims of the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history were read out loud in a private service.

The early morning service was closed to the public and was held for survivors, victims’ families, club employees and local officials. It overlapped the time a year ago that gunman Omar Mateen started shooting inside the nightclub on “Latin Night” a little after 2 a.m. on June 12, 2016.

“I realize that gathering here in this place, at this hour, is beyond difficult,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said during the service. “But I also know that the strength you’ve shown over the past year will carry you through today and in the future.”

The private service was the start of what would be almost 24 hours of observations to remember the victims who died as well as the dozens of Pulse patrons who were wounded during the shooting. It would be followed by another midday service at the nightclub, an evening gathering in the heart of downtown Orlando and a final, music-filled late-night service at the nightclub.

Outside the perimeter at Pulse, where the fence has been decorated with vibrantly-colored banners, people laid flowers and lit candles early Monday. Supporters dressed as angels stood guard outside the club before the service.

Later in the day, church bells throughout the Orlando area were set to ring 49 times at noon.

Gov. Rick Scott ordered U.S. flags around Florida to be flown at half-staff and a giant rainbow flag would be unveiled at the Orange County government building.

Monday’s services culminated several days of events aimed at turning the grim anniversary into something positive. A foot race was held over the weekend, and eight gay and lesbian students were awarded $4,900 toward their college studies by a local businessman. Local officials have declared the one-year mark as a day of “love and kindness,” and they are encouraging residents to volunteer or perform acts of compassion.

An exhibit of artwork collected from memorial sites set up around Orlando after the massacre will be shown at the Orange County History Center. The club’s owner, Barbara Poma, is developing plans to build a memorial at the Pulse site.

Mateen pledged allegiance to the Islamic State during the attack and was eventually killed by police during a shootout after a three-hour standoff. His wife, Noor Salman, is facing charges of aiding and abetting and obstruction in federal court, and she has pleaded not guilty to helping her husband.

SEE ALSO: The Orlando shooter’s father raised a key question about the night of the massacre

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